M&S stores across Leeds and Bradford area are calling on local people to roll up their sleeves and Spark Something Good by joining around 100 M&S employees in a week of volunteering that will positively impact 24 projects at the heart of local communities.
Spark Something Good will see 24 projects take place across 24 cities in the UK and Ireland over the course of 24 months and the scheme was initially launched by Joanna Lumley in London. Leeds and Bradford have been selected as the next cities to host an M&S Spark Something Good event following the successful launch of the initiative in London last summer. From Monday 18th to Sunday 24th April, M&S employees and customers will come together and donate their time to improving local community spaces.
Amongst the 24 projects that will take part are Simon Marks Court and Seacroft Grange Primary School in Leeds, and Forster Square and InnChurches in Bradford.
In Leeds, the retailer is returning to Simon Marks Court, a care home specialising in dementia care, 28 years after it made a £1m donation in 1988 to mark 100 years since the birth of Simon Marks, son of M&S founder Michael Marks. The team will be transforming a disused lounge into a café area and creating a relaxation room for residents and their families. Seacroft Grange Primary School will see an outbuilding transformed into a positive learning environment called Gateway to Gold, as well as creating raised beds in the garden for classes to grow their own plants and vegetables.
In Bradford, Forster Square will undergo a dramatic makeover, including new flower beds and hanging baskets and urban knitting wrapped around pillars and trees to brighten up the public space and give Bradford the welcoming platform it deserves. InnChurches will see its new intercepted food distribution centre, The Storehouse, given a much-needed upgrade with colourful murals and planting at the entrance. InnChurches will also be hosting a pay-as-you-feel fruit and veg market to encourage the local community groups to increase their access to fresh affordable food.
Mark Robson, Plan A Champion at Marks & Spencer Leeds, said: “Following the success of Spark Something Good since the launch in London last summer, we’re really excited to be launching this initiative in two great Yorkshire cities. It was difficult to choose just 24 projects but we have some really worthy causes on board. With our M&S employees and the Leeds and Bradford community working together to volunteer with organisations that really matter locally, we know we can achieve something great. Getting stuck in and helping others can make a profound difference to the services so many people across the region rely on, and we can’t wait to get started on the 18th April.”
Registration to take part is now open. To find out more and sign-up, simply visit the dedicated website, www.neighbourly.com/mandsvolunteer, which has been developed in partnership with the social network for social good, Neighbourly.com.
Spark Something Good is part of Plan A, M&S’s ground-breaking eco and ethical programme. It was developed following extensive research and dialogue which revealed that getting involved in community projects enhanced people’s lives. M&S aims to spark Leeds and Bradford residents into action by showing just what can be achieved when people come together united by a common goal.