Aldi TCT photo

Source: Aldi staff

Aldi staff are striving to raise the funds

Aldi has extended a fundraising target for the Teenage Cancer Trust to £15m, having already hit a previous target of £10m.

The discounter pledged in July 2020 to reach the £10m target by 2027. Having got three years early, Aldi is now aiming for another £5m within the same timeframe.

Aldi’s staff in its 1,000-plus UK stores and 11 regional distribution centres are engaging in fundraising events including bake sales, marathons and even scaling Mount Kilimanjaro to hit the new target, helped by the generosity of Aldi shoppers.

Last year, Aldi UK MD Graham Hetherington and group MDs Dan Ronald and Oliver King raised funds by running the London Marathon wearing a giant three-person Cuthbert the Caterpillar costume.

Since first partnering with the Teenage Cancer Trust in 2017, funds raised by Aldi have paid for 30 specialist nurses, 15 youth support co-ordinators and four multi-disciplinary team co-ordinators for five years, according to the supermarket.

“We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Teenage Cancer Trust and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all the incredible Aldi colleagues and shoppers who have supported the charity’s vital work,” said Liz Fox, Aldi UK national sustainability director.

Read more: Iceland’s Richard Walker to run London Marathon in latest Alzheimer’s fundraiser

“We couldn’t have reached this milestone without their help, and we’re now looking forward to raising the bar even further with a new target of £15m by 2027.”

Teenage Cancer Trust CEO Kate Collins said: “It is remarkable that Aldi colleagues and shoppers have raised a phenomenal £10m for Teenage Cancer Trust. Not only this, but we are so grateful that they have pledged to raise another £5m. Their commitment to making sure young people do not face cancer alone is hugely appreciated – and so needed.

“These vital funds help us to make sure young people with cancer have the best possible care and support that they need and deserve. Thank you to Aldi colleagues and customers for your ongoing loyal support – you are making our work possible across the UK.”