RH AMAR ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 75TH ANNIVERSARY £75,000 CHARITY DRAW
Leading fine food distributor RH Amar has announced the winners of its 75th Anniversary draw, after receiving nominations for 73 deserving charities from around 100 customers and brand partners.
The Buckhamshire-based company – which distributes more than 30 fine food brands to major supermarkets, cash and carries, wholesale groups, restaurants and independent retailers throughout the UK, including its own Cooks&Co, Mary Berry’s and Camp Coffee brands – revealed the winning charities following a draw streamed live on social media from its High Wycombe headquarters on Friday 13th November.
The winners to receive prizes ranging from £5k to £50k:
– Sussex Wildlife Trust – https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/ – was first to be drawn and was nominated by Shoreham-by-Sea wholesaler Infinity Foods. The charity will receive £5,000
– Also receiving £5,000 is Northern Ireland’s Southern Area Hospice Services – https://www.southernareahospiceservices.org/ – which was nominated by Newry-based S&W Wholesale
– National child cancer charity CLIC Sargent – https://www.clicsargent.org.uk/ – has Bradford-based UK supermarket chain Morrisons to thank for its nomination and a £5,000 donation following the draw
– London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital – https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/ – will receive £10,000 after being nominated for the draw by national hospitality group Whitbread
– And the top prize of £50,000 will be heading to Cancer Research UK – https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ – which received eight nominations including one from Staffordshire-based Knighton Foods
Introducing the draw, RH Amar Chairman Henry Amar, said: “As we approached our 75th Anniversary, we realised that the pandemic may interfere with our celebrations, but we were determined not to let it disrupt this charity draw.
“This feels particularly appropriate in a year when so many charities have struggled to raise funds and had to cancel fundraising activity that would normally form a part of their income.”
Announcing the winners, RH Amar MD Rob Amar added: “We had nominations from around 100 customers and brand partners for 73 UK-based charities, including both national and local charities across the UK.
“Reading the websites of all the nominated charities has been both inspiring and emotional. A big ‘thank you’ goes to our customers and brand partners for submitting their nominations.”
Welcoming the winning nomination, Juliette Smyth, Business Account Manager at Knighton Foods, said: “We are delighted to have nominated Cancer Research UK, and even happier that they will now receive such a major donation towards their important work.
“This was a great initiative by RH Amar to celebrate the company’s landmark anniversary, and a great example of how business can make a real difference.”
Since 2013, RH Amar has committed 10% of profits to charity each year, donating more than £1.2m since then to some 70 charities. Charities to have benefited from donations during that time include industry charities GroceryAid, Farm Africa and Action Against Hunger, national charities like MacMillan Cancer Support and Guide Dogs, and local Buckinghamshire charities including Rennie Grove Hospice Care and Heart of Bucks Foundations.
In addition, the company has been helping during Covid-19 by donating fine food parcels to NHS workers in Buckinghamshire, as well as supplying 120,000 cans of Del Monte tinned fruit to go into Defra food parcels nationwide.
During Covid-19, the company also supplied Project Wingman – a scheme under which airline crew have been supporting NHS workers in around 30 UK hospitals with healthy break-time snacks.
