Toy Store Customers Raise £1m for Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity
By Charities Correspondent
Customers at toy retailer The Entertainer have raised £1 million for The Grand Appeal, the charity that supports Bristol Children's Hospital.
The milestone was reached through a scheme that allows shoppers in stores across the South West to round up their purchases to the nearest pound. Since 2011, customers at 15 stores from Cornwall to Wiltshire have taken part, with the small donations adding up to seven figures.
The achievement was marked with the unveiling of a giant million-pound penny at The Entertainer's Cabot Circus store in Bristol.
The display will now tour participating stores across the region.
The money raised helps fund services and facilities for children and families using Bristol Children's Hospital, including free accommodation for parents, specialist equipment, and arts, music and play programmes.
Karen Emery, area manager for The Entertainer in the South West, said staff had spent years encouraging customers to support the charity through the till-point donations.
She said the fundraising effort had allowed store teams to see first-hand the difference the money makes to families receiving specialist care at the hospital.
The Grand Appeal's head of fundraising, Helen Haskell, described the £1 million total as a "phenomenal milestone" and said the support had provided practical help and comfort for children and families during difficult times.
The donations were collected through a partnership with micro-donation charity Pennies, which enables shoppers to make small digital contributions when paying at the till.
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Nationally, The Entertainer has raised £4 million for children's hospital charities through similar schemes, with Bristol's Grand Appeal among the beneficiaries.
