Sidmouth Waitrose staff give �1,000 to DAAT

Devon Air Ambulance appeal gets �1,000 boost from generous Waitrose staff at Sidmouth store

TO mark �5 billion in sales last year, Waitrose awarded its partners �5 each across the UK.

At Sidmouth’s store, each member of staff agreed to pool their fivers and donate the money to Devon Air Ambulance Trust.

Debbie Collingwood, volunteer coordinator for DAAT, received the �1,000 cheque from Brenda Godbeer, who mans the customer service desk at Waitrose in Stowford Rise, and was given a prime site at the store to sell tickets to win a Mazda 2 car in a prize draw to raise money to buy the charity another helicopter to replace one it has leased since April 2005.

This will cost around �5.5 million and the appeal, backed by BBC Radio Devon, has already reached more than �410,000.

Branch manager Mark Sheppard, said: “I am delighted the partners chose to donate their �5 awards to DAAT. They could have had a party themselves or spent it on themselves. It is fantastic.”

Debbie said the store staff had been “brilliant” in giving such a generous donation, adding: “I had a most successful day, selling summer draw tickets to the value of �360 and a bucket collection made �90.

“Margaret Edwards-Hughes (Waitrose marketing coordinator) and the staff from Waitrose made me feel extremely welcome and I also met many lovely supporters, ex-patients and a couple of potential volunteers, which is a real bonus.”

The winning ticket for the prize car will be drawn on Sunday, September 18.