Shoppers in Newmarket and supporters of the Salvation Army in Bury St Edmunds have helped to boost the funds of the My Wish Charity’s Every Heart Matters Appeal.
It comes as organisers count down the days to a fundraising show at the Theatre Royal which is hoping to further boost the coffers of the campaign which is aimed at raising £500,000 for a new cardiac unit at the West Suffolk Hospital.
The Waitrose store, in Fred Archer Way, Newmarket, handed over £500 after shoppers had the chance to vote for the appeal along with Newmarket Rugby Club and Suffolk Constabulary.
By placing a token in the Community Matters box at the store shoppers help their local community and
at the end of each shop people receive a token to place in a box of the good cause they would most like to support and the more tokens a cause gets, the bigger the donation they receive.
Each month every Waitrose branch donates £1,000 between three local good causes and £250 each went to the rugby club and the Constabulary along with the £500 to the hospital appeal.
And Waitrose Newmarket has made it its charity of the year by displaying collection boxes in store.
Di Robert-Shaw, the team manager partner compliance at the store, said the appeal was close to many people’s hearts and that they were looking forward to supporting the campaign over the coming year.
And a special service held at the Salvation Army, in St John’s Street, Bury St Edmunds, raised a total of £252.50.
Major Christine Whittingham said every year they raise money for charity and five were put forward with members at the Salvation Army choosing the heart appeal.
Band master Paul Doswell had suggested the campaign after his father and uncle had heart issues.
Meanwhile, larger-than-life celebrity Christopher Biggins is to be the compere for a fantastic night to remember at the Theatre Royal, as a gala evening of cabaret, comedy, West End Show routines and celebrity guests are all set to raise money for the charity.
“The Love Gala” is taking place on Sunday, March 25, and tickets are now on sale for the event which is to feature a host of well known artists from stage, TV and the big screen including Alex Jennings, Robert Glenister, Yvonne Howard, Matthew Croke, Britt Lenting, Sammy Kelly and racing jockey and ambassador for the Every Heart Matters appeal Frankie Dettori.
The appeal is aiming to raise £500,000 to help fund building a brand new cardiac centre at the West Suffolk Hospital.
The West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is investing £5.2m in developing a state of the art cardiac suite that will provide quicker access to more treatments, but the £500,000 My WiSH Charity is hoping to raise will lead to the whole unit, which is currently fragmented on different floors, being brought together in one purpose-built centre.
If you want to support the appeal go to the website www.mywishcharity.co.uk
If you would like to donate to the appeal you can do so by going to Justgiving.com/ehma or text EHMA17 £10 to 70070.
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