Community Donations

Charity of the year

Each year at our AGM our Society members, along with the Board of Directors vote for the Society’s 2 new charities of the year. Which we support throughout the finance year via an initial donation of £1,000, along with fundraising/collection buckets in our 22 stores over the year.

This years chosen charities are:

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) is the local air ambulance for Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, and parts of Wiltshire. GWAAC’s Critical Care Crew respond to the most serious emergency calls in the regions, in the air or on the road, bringing the skills, equipment, and knowledge of a hospital emergency department straight to the scene of an accident or medical incident. The service we provide is reliant on our brilliant team of pilots, Advanced and Specialist Paramedics and Consultant Doctors who specialise in pre-hospital care. As a charity, GWAAC does not receive any regular government, NHS, or national lottery funding – its lifesaving missions are entirely funded by local people and communities, helping GWAAC continue to help save local lives and give them the best chance of a positive outcome on their worst day.

The Lily Foundation

The Lily Foundation was founded in 2007 by Liz Curtis, following the loss of her 8 month old daughter to a mitochondrial disease. At the time there was no charity dedicated to supporting families affected by mitochondrial disease and there was little research happening into the condition. What started out with just one family, Lily’s, has evolved over the last 18 years and we are now proud to support over 1300 families across the UK.

Mitochondrial disease, or ‘mito’, is a rare, complex and difficult-to-diagnose genetic disorder that affects people in very different ways. It can affect any organ at any age, and often occurs in babies and young children. There is currently no cure, but we’re working hard to change that, and are the largest charitable funder of mitochondrial research in Europe. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as a key factor in other more common diseases including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and cancer. The research we fund and support not only holds promise for individuals with mitochondrial disorders, but has the potential to benefit millions of others too.

Donation photos

The Colleagues’ Chosen Charity’s

In addition to our two charities of the year selected at our AGM, we also have our Colleagues’ Chosen Charity. Each store’s team chooses a charity they wish their store to support, in addition to the Society’s two designated charities of the year. This approach enables us to contribute to a variety of local charities that benefit the communities surrounding our stores.

Proud to be supporting:

Cancer Research

Friends of Chew Magna primary School

Golden Oldies

Ben Saunders Foundation

Happy Paws Puppy Rescue

Time is Precious

Rainbow Trust

Children’s Hospice South West

Cots for Tots

Secret World Wildlife Rescue

Dorothy House

Great Weston Air Ambulance

Young Lives vs Cancer

Evolve Music

Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance

St Margaret’s

Yes You Can

Watchet Phoenix Centre

Marie Curie

Food Bank & Community Fridge Donations

We all understand the importance of not wasting good food. Our stores donate products nearing their expiry date to local Food Banks and Community Fridges daily to minimise food wastage. If you’re a nonprofit organization in need of such donations, apply to partner with your nearby Radstock Co-operative Society Store today. With 22 stores in the South West, our goal is for each store to collaborate with a Food Bank or Community Fridge, promoting community resilience by offering food supplies and cutting down on food waste.

For further information, reach out to us at enquiries@radstock.coop.