Thirty local stores join forces to raise over £10,000 for suicide prevention charity

Thirty SPAR and EUROSPAR stores across the North Down and East Belfast area in Northern Ireland have collectively raised £10,143 for PIPS, a suicide and self-harm prevention charity, in memory of their colleague and colleague’s family member who lost their lives to suicide last year.

EUROSPAR Rathgael Road’s Assistant Manager, Jack Spurling lost his brother Gary in July, while EUROSPAR Hardford Link lost their team leader, Ryan Mills in November. The store also raised money for Ryan’s family to help with his funeral costs.

For the month of January, the neighbouring stores across the Ards, Bangor, Millisle, Portaferry and East Belfast areas fundraised for PIPS, holding in-store activities where they dressed green to symbolise International Mental Health Awareness and in memory of their friends.

Staff at EUROSPAR Ladas Drive and EUROSPAR Rathgael Road clocked up the miles for donations on exercise bikes and EUROSPAR Portaferry ran prize-winning raffles while EUROSPAR Millisle held a ‘guess the sweets’ competition.

“To have both our store teams affected by suicide in the past year left a huge impact on us all and we wanted to rally around our friends and their families,” Nigel Walker, senior store manager at EUROSPAR Rathgael Road, Bangor and EUROSPAR Hardford Link, Newtownards commented.

“We decided the best way to honour Gary and Ryan would be to come together and raise vital funds for PIPS which is a charity doing incredible work in the local community to ensure more families and friends do not go through this heartbreak. We hope the money raised will help support individuals, family members and friends who are struggling.”

PIPS is a charity that delivers suicide prevention and bereavement support services, counselling and therapies throughout Northern Ireland. PIPS also provides support to those families and friends who have been touched by suicide.

“It was so positive to see our company owned stores work as a collective to raise money for such a personal cause. A total of five stores in the North Down and East Belfast area have collaborated to support their local employees who have been affected and we couldn’t be prouder,” Bronagh Luke, head of corporate marketing at Henderson Group, owners of the SPAR and EUROSPAR brands in Northern Ireland, added.