Home Retail Group chooses Teenage Cancer Trust in £2 million partnership

23/07/10

Home Retail Group, the UK’s leading home and general merchandise retailer, has announced that Teenage Cancer Trust will be its official charity partner for the next two years. Colleagues at Home Retail Group, which owns Argos and Homebase, voted overwhelmingly for the charity when asked to select their personal choice. The partnership will run until July 2012 and is estimated to be worth at least £2 million in fundraising donations for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Simon Davies, Chief Executive of Teenage Cancer Trust comments: “This is the most significant partnership Teenage Cancer Trust has ever secured. Home Retail Group will make an enormous contribution to our goal of ensuring every young person with cancer is treated in our award winning facilities. There is great synergy between Teenage Cancer Trust and Home Retail Group. With their proven track record as a leading UK retailer on the high street and online, they are an ideal partner and we are very enthusiastic about what we can achieve together.”

Over the course of the two year partnership, all money raised by Home Retail Group’s 50,000-plus staff will go towards Teenage Cancer Trust units in NHS hospitals across the UK. Teenage Cancer Trust currently has 16 operational units across the country and aims to build a further 18 in the next few years so that every young person with cancer has access to one. Home Retail Group support will significantly contribute towards this ambitious programme over the next two years.

Ceri Wootton, community affairs and workplace manager at Home Retail Group comments: “Home Retail Group’s two year partnership with Teenage Cancer Trust has the potential to leave a lasting legacy for the treatment of teenagers with cancer in the UK and Ireland. We recorded our highest ever turnout of colleague votes in the search for our new partner and I’m sure Teenage Cancer Trust will prove to be a fun and engaging partner for our colleagues and the communities we work in.”

Over the next 24 months a programme of innovative in-store fundraising activities will take place in Argos and Homebase stores throughout the UK. Staff will also support Teenage Cancer Trust on national fundraising events such as ‘Rock Your Shades’ and the Brighton Marathon.

Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer by building specialist units in NHS hospitals. Unlike other hospital wards, these units are designed to give teenagers and young people the very best chance of a positive outcome. They aim to be a home from home with state-of-the-art facilities to keep patients occupied during long stays, and often include items like music equipment, jukeboxes, pool tables and computers as well as the technology to keep in touch with families and friends. The vibrant, colourful units also provide a place where young people can meet others in a similar situation, as well as offering the best possible care from an expert medical team of teenage cancer specialists.

For further information visit www.teenagecancertrust.org/homeretailgroup