Congratulations to the teams at Weston Favell, Idlewells and Middleton Shopping Centres, who have been crowned our Fundraisers of the Year 2022! The teams were nominated for their work in supporting their local communities and charity fundraising across a series of innovative events.

Weston Favell Shopping Centre, Northampton, celebrated a win in the Most Amount Raised category, for the money raised from the centre’s Honesty Library. The initiative allows shoppers to access a wide range of books, in return for a donation of whatever amount they can afford. The scheme raised an incredible £8,844.33, which was shared between several local charities throughout the year.

The Community Initiative of the Year award was taken home by the team at Idlewells Shopping Centre. The Sutton-in-Ashfield based centre worked with a local college to create a bespoke container made by local students. This container has been used to collect second hand items to be given out to people in the local community who would struggle to buy new, such as toys and craft materials for the children’s ward at the local hospital.

Middleton Shopping Centre, Manchester, were rewarded in the Most Creative Idea category, for their collaboration with local Poetry Project initiative. The scheme aims to put positive, empowering and motivational messages on display in public areas to promote wellbeing and raise awareness of mental health issues. The Middleton team chose to implement the idea around their ‘happy to chat bench’, where visitors are encouraged to sit down and connect with others. The phrase 'Yesterday I was, tomorrow I will be, today I'll take my time and enjoy being me’ now appears above the bench, providing a great discussion point for anyone wanting to chat..

A huge well done to all of the winners for their creativity and commitment to supporting their local communities.