When we found out that we had been chosen as centre:mk’s Charity of the Year, we were very excited. As a locally based charity, to be given prominence and support by Milton Keynes’ prestigious shopping centre was just awesome. People come to centre:mk from far and wide, so to be given the chance to spread the word about what we do, to highlight our work and have the staff at centre:mk help us to do that was a brilliant opportunity.And centre:mk has really pushed the boat out for us over the past 12 months, helping to raise awareness of our charity in the Milton Keynes area and beyond. They’ve included Supershoes in many of their big events and really taken our message onboard. It seems that Supershoes has also inspired some of the staff to do their own fundraising. So what’s it like to be Charity of the Year at centre:mk? Here’s what we did: During the year, our team of volunteers held bucket rattles, paint demonstrations, took part in a fashion festival, put on a Lego Walk (think fire walk, but sharper!) in Middleton Hall, held a series of Create-a-Cap workshops and even staged a Spooky Walk at Halloween.
For their part, centre:mk raised funds through their wishing well in Santa’s Christmas grotto, as well as the sale of reindeer glasses and a coin drop, · centre:mk staff got involved with a bake sale to raise funds · staff helped us with our charity gift wrap at the centre · Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe donated sweets for the Spooky Walk · Bravissimo held a fundraising event in store
Throughout the year, the staff have helped us to raise awareness of childhood cancer, and all their efforts have helped us add a fabulous £10,873.50 to our funds. We were absolutely thrilled to receive this sum and it couldn’t have come at a better time. This is why…
In October 2019, Supershoes had its 6th birthday. To celebrate this fact, we made the big decision to add 6 years to our eligibility criteria for Supershoes. This means that we are now able to reach children and young people up to the age of 24, with the gift of Supershoes. Of course, the larger the shoe, the more expensive Supershoes are to create, but we knew there was a real need in a wider age range, to empower more young people. And thanks to centre:mk, we’re been able to give our new initiative a great start, with this big bonus!
We’re so grateful to each and every person who has been generous with their time, money and also to those who we’ve been able to talk to, during our fundraising activities. Getting the word out there about what we do, and raising awareness for childhood cancer is vitally important, so thank you all for listening.
Childhood cancer sucks, whether you’re 4 months, 24 years, or any age in-between. Supershoes is committed to do whatever it takes to empower children and young people and their families, and to help them fight the battle of their young lives.
centre:mk spoke to us about why Supershoes was chosen as their charity of the year:
Every year centre:mk works with one charity as “Charity of the Year”. Out of all the applications received to be our charity partner, Supershoes really stood out as being the perfect fit. A charity that was inspiring, unique, celebrating art as a form of therapy and although national, based in Milton Keynes. The team at centre:mk really wanted to make a difference to helping Supershoes reach more children and give the team there a platform to tell everyone about the fabulous work that the Supershoes team do. Head of Marketing Kim Priest said “We are delighted to have helped raise over £10,000 for Supershoes. This charity is truly special and has captured the hearts and minds of our whole team and raised the awareness of the fantastic work the charity does to empower children and young people fighting cancer. A truly inspiring charity with a fantastic philosophy that we all really believe in. Well done Supershoes.”
Thank you, centre:mk for being part of the Supershoes “army” last year. You were fabulous!
