Fun day launches fund-raising year

A Royal Borough community resource centre for people with learning difficulties and dementia sufferers is set to benefit from a partnership scheme with Sainsburys Maidenhead store during the coming year.

A fun day in Sainsburys Piazza next weekend will kick-start a year of fund-raising and support for the Boyn Grove community resource centre in Courthouse Road, Maidenhead, as part of the store's annual charity partnership scheme to fund-raise for local organisations.

Sainsburys staff have already forged links with Boyn Grove by planting the new sensory garden at the dementia centre and providing food and refreshments for the hugely successful Jubilee party at the centre.

Now the first official fund-raising event out of the starting blocks is the family fun day to be held on Saturday 18 August in Sainsbury's Piazza outside the store from 10am to 2pm where families can enjoy a bouncy castle, demonstrations of self-defence, good-as-new clothing, tombola, cake stalls and a variety of other stalls and activities.

Proceeds from the fun day - and from other fund-raising activities to be held throughout the coming year - will go towards a wheelchair swing for the service users at Boyn Grove as well as an innovative audio photo album for service users living with dementia.

The fun day will be launched by Cllr Colin Rayner, Mayor of the Royal Borough. Cllr Rayner said: "I am delighted that Boyn Grove is going to be supported in this way for the coming year. Boyn Grove is a wonderful Royal Borough facility providing an excellent service for some of our most vulnerable residents.

"When I visited Boyn Grove for their Jubilee party I saw all the good work being carried out by the staff there, helped on the day by staff members from Sainsburys. Everyone had a wonderful time."

Cllr Simon Dudley, cabinet member for adult and community services, said: "This is a fantastic example of community involvement in a very worthwhile community resource and will be a great boost for our service users at Boyn Grove.

"Shoppers in the Maidenhead store will be able to contribute through collection boxes at the tills as well as attending events such as the fun day. This will be a great event for all the family so put the date in your diaries and come along to support Boyn Grove."

Julia Harris, interim day service manager at Boyn Grove, is delighted at the supermarket's pledge to help the centre. She said: "It is absolutely wonderful that Sainsbury's have chosen to fund-raise for us for the coming year. The money they raise will be put towards some pieces of very specialised equipment which will undoubtedly improve and enhance the well-being of our service users."

Edward Burton, store manager for Maidenhead Sainsbury's said: "Our store is at the heart of the local community and it is important that we do as much as we can to support it.

"Our charity partnerships across the country raise millions for local good causes and our colleagues are looking forward to supporting the Boyn Grove community resource and the fantastic work it does. We hope our customers will join in the fun and support this very worthy cause."

Plans are already in place for a number of team activities in the coming months between staff at Sainsburys and Boyn Grove such as planting spring bulbs in the sensory garden.

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