Charity partnerships

During 2010/11 we worked in partnership with two leading charity partners to increase awareness of causes that matter to our customers and our people.

We raised over £3 million for our national charity partners during the year. This was thanks to the success of the partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support and our continued support for BBC Children in Need.

Macmillan Cancer Support

2010 was the first year of Boots UK’s three year partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, which aims to improve access to Macmillan’s information and support services and realise Boots UK's ambition to improve the lives of people living with cancer. By working together, Boots UK and Macmillan will deliver more ways to access information about living with cancer to the high street, in local communities and online.

Macmillan Cancer Support is a source of support for those living with cancer today. They provide practical, emotional, medical and financial support and campaign for better cancer care. During the first year of our partnership we have raised almost £2.5 million for the charity through a number of initiatives including the sale of specially designed merchandise and colleague fundraising. Most noteable was the success of the Miles for Macmillan events with over 6,000 Boots UK colleagues taking part in this company-wide fundraising activity.

http://www.bootsmilesformacmillan.co.uk/

In 2010/11 over 600,000 Macmillan cancer information leaflets and 35 million dispensing bags with Macmillan information were distributed to all Boots UK stores. Nationally we have trained over 3,600 of our pharmacists in cancer awareness. We have piloted and evaluated a range of Macmillan initiatives in 18 Birmingham stores. We supported a Macmillan Awareness Week with over 100 Macmillan Information Specialists providing advice in stores, promoted by Macmillan messages in windows along with a national promotion on selected toiletries and baby products including a Macmillan donation.

If you have questions about living with cancer call the Macmillan Support Line free on 0808 808 00 00 or visit www.macmillan.org.uk

BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need is a cause that is well recognised by our customers and our own people. In November 2010 our stores and our customers helped us raise over £600,000 for the charity through selling branded merchandise and in store fundraising activity. This takes our total to £4 million in the time we have supported this very worthwhile charity. The Boots Customer Care call centre was once again taking donation calls from the public throughout the night and received £191K of donations. We're continuing our work with BBC Children in Need, entering our 8th year of support in 2011/12.