Primark’s store team in Aberdeen have been praised as “inspiring” after they spent a month raising crucial funds and awareness for a local sensory loss charity.
Earlier this summer, Primark colleagues at the retailer’s Union Street store nominated North East Sensory Services (NESS) as their local charity to support throughout August, raising more than £550.
The fundraising drive was led by two of the store’s management team, Jill Easton and Gillian Murray, who both have family members affected by sensory loss.
Over the course of the month, the Primark team raised awareness of the support available through NESS, by hosting various in-store activities including a ‘guess the number of sweets in a jar’ competition, which proved popular with families.
Primark Aberdeen Union Street team member fundraising for NESS
Primark team manager Jill has personal connections to NESS, with friends and family members benefiting from the charity’s work, including her daughter who has hearing loss and is a recent graduate of its Young People’s Sensory Service (YPSS).
Her colleague Gillian, visual manager, is also aware of the importance of supporting people with sensory loss, as her brother is Deaf and uses British Sign Language (BSL) to communicate.
Both women visited NESS’s resource centre in John Street over the summer, where they chatted with the charity’s Deaf Group using BSL.
Gillian Murray, visual manager at Primark Union Street in Aberdeen, said: “We chose NESS as our local charity to support this summer because they carry out work that is very close to our hearts.
“We know first-hand the challenges that people with sensory loss face, as we have family members who are affected, some of whom have used NESS’s excellent services.
“Raising awareness of these issues is really important to help us uplift the local Aberdeen community, and we are happy to have played a part in doing that, as well as fundraising for such a brilliant charity.
“The Union Street team are absolutely delighted with the total and are eager to do more with NESS very soon.”
Primark Aberdeen Union Street team outside the store, with Sheila Ogden, NESS added value services manager
Caroline Rutherford, NESS team member, said: “It was a pleasure to meet Jill and Gillian when they came along to our resource centre at John Street.
"Their enthusiasm for raising awareness of the issues facing blind and deaf people, as well as raising funds to support the services we provide, is truly inspiring.
“The vital groups and services we deliver rely on a wide range of funding sources to continue running.
“We’d like to say a massive thank you to customers and staff at Primark Aberdeen for their kindness.
"We really couldn’t do what we do without partnering with organisations and individuals who support us in so many different ways.”
NESS is an independent, local charity delivering the first integrated joint sensory services in Scotland. It was founded in 1879 and is the second-oldest charity in Aberdeen.
It works with thousands of blind and deaf people, and those with visual and hearing impairments, across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Angus and Moray.
Its main objective is to help people with sensory loss to live as independently as possible. Its vision is of a Scotland aware of the needs of people with sensory impairment, that includes them as equal participants in community life, and that offers them the opportunities available to all.
The summer of fundraising efforts at Primark follows the retailer celebrating turning 50 in Scotland, after first opening its doors in Hamilton in August 1975.
Today, Primark operates 21 stores across local high streets, town centres and shopping centres in Scotland, as part of the 197 stores across the UK.