James Hall & Co marks £500,000 milestone for Marie Curie

James Hall & Co. Ltd has marked a momentous half million-pound fundraising milestone for SPAR’s charity partner Marie Curie. 

To celebrate the landmark £500,000 figure, the highest fundraising James Hall & Co. Ltd company-owned stores from each region of the North of England and its leading independent retailer have been recognised for their achievements and fundraising methods. 

The highest fundraising independent store is Nigel and Sue Masters’ SPAR store in Oswaldtwistle, which has raised £5,271.75 since SPAR partnered with Marie Curie in March 2017. 

Leading company-owned SPAR stores that have driven fundraising on the ground in communities include Sandringham Way, Walton-le-Dale (£5,302.05), Hutton Way, Carlisle (£4,555.45), East Ayton, Scarborough (£4,194.74), and Eston, Middlesbrough (£2,779.70). 

Fundraising initiatives have varied from fancy dress competitions and cake stalls through to second-hand book, DVD and games tables and raffles. 

James Hall & Co. Ltd, SPAR UK’s primary wholesaler and distributor for Northern England, supports Marie Curie through a number of initiatives.  

These include yellow collection boxes, Marie Curie’s annual Great Daffodil Appeal in March, and the National Day of Reflection (23 March), when Marie Curie encourages everyone to wear a daffodil pin and take a moment to show their support for the millions of people bereaved during the pandemic and remember the people we’ve lost. 

The company donates a penny to Marie Curie from the sale of every SPAR sandwich sold in one of the 600 SPAR stores it services in Northern England, and James Hall & Co. Ltd has helped distribute PPE to frontline Marie Curie Nurses throughout the duration of the pandemic. 

Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life care charity, provides essential frontline nursing and hospice care for people with any terminal illness, as well as a free support line, and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement. 

Nigel Masters said: “I’m surprised and very happy to be the leading SPAR independent retailer in the North of England for Marie Curie fundraising, and it’s a terrific feeling to have contributed so much to the £500,000 milestone achieved by James Hall & Co. Ltd. 

“I know from personal experience just how valued skilled and compassionate end of life care is by families for their loved ones, and Marie Curie is a wonderful cause. 

“We have a first class community SPAR store here in Oswaldtwistle and our staff wholeheartedly get behind fundraising opportunities. Local residents and businesses really appreciate this and I think it is why our customers have supported Marie Curie so generously.” 

Linda McCarten, senior healthcare assistant at Marie Curie, said: “I’ve worked in the care sector for more than 30 years and excellent end of life care is of paramount importance. I joined Marie Curie 13 years ago after I saw at close quarters the fantastic end of life care they provided to a relative of mine, and after I personally experienced the empathy the charity’s frontline team provided for our wider family at that time. 

“To have the support of SPAR and James Hall & Co. Ltd really is amazing, and £500,000 is a brilliant total to have reached. This helps fund our critical work. I’m a regular at my local SPAR store, and it has supported me through the pandemic too as a collection point for PPE, enabling me to carry on doing the work I love for Marie Curie.” 

Niels Dekkers, retail development director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “The £500,000 milestone for Marie Curie is a huge achievement for our company, and it is a very proud moment for James Hall & Co. Ltd. Marie Curie provide an incredible end of life care service and we are delighted to be able to support this invaluable work. 

“This latest milestone, coming just 12 months after reaching the £400,000 mark, could not have been achieved so quickly without the kind-heartedness of our loyal customers across the North of England, combined with the commitment and inventiveness of stores and their fundraising initiatives. I would like to congratulate the team at Masters Oswaldtwistle for their brilliant fundraising work.” 

You can find out more information about James Hall & Co. Ltd at www.jameshall.co.uk.