Tesco’s partnership with Diabetes UK raises £18.6m
Howard Lake | 26 February 2015 | News
Tesco staff, suppliers and customers have raised £18.6 million for Diabetes UK from their partnership which ran from March 2013 to December 2014. This is the largest amount every raised in a Tesco charity partnership in the UK.
The original target had been £18m.
The £18.6 million will fund continuing research, education and awareness programmes to make life better for people with diabetes and reach those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. For example, it has helped extend the opening hours of Diabetes UK’s Careline, enabled Diabetes UK’s largest ever advertising campaign to encourage people to check their risk of Type 2 diabetes, and fund the charity’s biggest ever research programme into developing a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes.
Tesco staff raised funds through events in stores, distribution centres and offices around the UK. Suppliers to Tesco supported the partnership through promotions, and Tesco customers also made donations.
Paul Amadi, Director of Fundraising at Diabetes UK, said:
“Raising £18.6 million is an incredible achievement and far beyond our expectations when we began working with Tesco. This is a real testament to Tesco colleagues, customers and suppliers’ enthusiasm and dedication to fundraising for Diabetes UK…
“The partnership will also leave a lasting legacy, as the funds raised will continue to offer support across the UK for months and years to come, not to mention fund vital research that could transform people’s lives”.
Josh Hardie, Corporate Responsibility Director for Tesco added:
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“This is an absolutely huge achievement and I’d like to say a big thanks to Tesco colleagues and customers who really went the extra mile to raise such a fantastic amount. Our partnership with Diabetes UK has been our most successful charity partnership ever, and the money raised will make a huge difference to millions of people living with diabetes as well as many more who are at risk of developing it.”
The partnership continues
At the beginning of 2015 Tesco announced a three year partnership between Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation that aims to raise £30 million to fund initiatives that will help people better understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle and reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.