M&S Food donates £10,000 to Exeter charity Action for Children

This Christmas, M&S Food is putting charity firmly at its heart. In a year when charity funding has declined almost 25%, M&S Food is proud to donate £10,000 to Action for Children charity, which has three children’s centres and a nursery based in Exeter, in recognition of the volunteering efforts of local colleague Dan Smith as part of an overall £2million donation to good causes for its very special Christmas campaign. A sign at the front of the store will be unveiled on 3rdDecember, highlighting Dan and the charity’s brilliant work to all customers shopping at M&S Exebridges this Christmas.

As well as shining a light on a number of important charities as chosen by nine world-famous actors including Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Julie Walters, Olivia Colman and Tom Hardy, who have added their unmistakable voices to nine brand new Christmas food ads, M&S Food has selected 10 colleagues from across the UK who are its most active charity volunteers, with donations of £10,000 going towards the colleagues’ chosen charities.

Dan Smith from M&S Exebridges, has been chosen by M&S Food for his dedication to Action for Children.The £10,000 donation will go towards specialist play equipment to help the development of vulnerable children across Exeter.  For the past five years, Dan has helped to supply surplus food from the M&S Exebridges store to Action for Children, which makes up meals for families around Exeter who rely on the charity. 

Dan Smith, who has worked at M&S for seven years, said; “I am thrilled to have been chosen by M&S Food to donate £10,000 to my chosen charity. At M&S we’re proud of the role we play in our local community and it’s fantastic we can donate a monumental amount, especially during these unprecedented times. 2020 has been a difficult year for all of us and we are thrilled to support our brilliant charity partner which helps over 150 families in Exeter.”

Christine Cottle, Centre Manager for Exeter Mid and East Devon at Action for Children commented: “Local charities are coming under immense pressure and need support now more than ever during these times. This generous donation from M&S is essential for us to support our community as these are such challenging times for us all. We currently have limited resources, so this donation will hugely help the day-to-day running of our three children’s centres and one nursery, continuing to support vulnerable families across Exeter. It will also be put towards resources such as outdoor play and a sensory room to bring out the best in the children we look after. It's fantastic to see the phenomenal support given to us by Dan Smith and the whole team at M&S Exebridges.”

Robert Moore, Store Manager at M&S Exbridges added: “We are very proud of the fantastic charity work Dan Smith has done over the years and I am thrilled M&S Food has chosen to donate £10,000 to Action for Children. The work Action for Children does in our local community is incredibly important and we are delighted to have been able to support them during these times."

In total, the Christmas advertising campaign will donate £1 million to good causes and as part of M&S’s long-term commitment to doing good.  An additional £1million will also be donated across a diverse range of charities including Shelter, Together for Short Lives and the 35 Sparks charities that M&S supports.  Also this Christmas, every time a Sparks customer shops at M&S in-store or online at M&S.com, M&S will donate to their selected charity, from a range of 35 different causes. Through Sparks, M&S has donated £7.3 million since 2015.