Shop workers brought a bit of Rock n’ Roll to Bishopton at the weekend as an innovative fundraiser got underway.
The village’s Co-op hosted its very own “festival” in the car park of the supermarket, complete with drum kit and tent, in a bid to raise vital funds for its charity partner.
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The nationwide store has been raising funds for SAMH (the Scottish Association for Mental Health) for the past 18 months and went the extra mile to raise more cash with its festival themed event on Saturday.
Alana Amely, team leader at Co-op Bishopton, said the party raised more than a few smiles and songs from customers over the weekend.
She told the Express: “As partners with SAMH we do as much fundraising as we can throughout the year but we also pick specific events and things to do to raise awareness and funds.
“This time it was a festival themed event so we decided everyone would dress up in festival type clothing and one of our team leaders, Ryan Monteith, is a drummer and he volunteered to drum in the car park and raised money by taking on customer requests.”
The day-long event raised an incredible £350 for SAMH, which staff say will go some way towards helping people with mental health problems in Renfrewshire and beyond.
SAMH works in over 60 communities in Scotland to support people’s mental well-being, has a leading role in suicide prevention work nationally and aims to tackle the stigma around poor mental health.
The Co-op formed a partnership with the charity in 2020 when the pandemic struck and added to mental health problems across the country.
In England, the supermarket has teamed up with fellow mental health charity MIND.
Alana said she and her colleagues are happy to do all they can to raise awareness of these charities, explaining the themed events offer staff the opportunity to raise the profile of the cause in an informal way.
She said: “The atmosphere on Saturday was fantastic.
“There was lots of interest from customers and other people who were out and about made their way over after hearing the music.
“Festivals haven’t been possible during covid so to host this was a good opportunity to cheer everyone up.
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“The sun was shinning too so we even had some festival weather.”
People can continue to support the SAMH fundraising in Co-op stores with several donation tins located in the Bishopton outlet while customers can also make a donation using their bank cards at any till.
For more information on the charity log on to samh.org.uk
