The newly opened M&S Foodhall on the Lower Bristol Road in Bath has announced the Trauma Recovery Centre (TRC) as its Charity of the Year for 2016.
Each year, every M&S store across the UK chooses a Charity of the Year as part of its Spark Something Good commitments to make a real difference to its local community.
TRC helps children and young people to recover from trauma such as abuse and bereavement, and was unanimously voted for by the team at the M&S Foodhall Bath.
The team will now embark on a year of fundraising and volunteering activities in aid of the charity, starting with a sky dive by Store Manager Stacey Williams.
Stacey said: “We’re really excited to be supporting the Trauma Recovery Centre as our Charity of the Year. It means a lot to us that we’re able to help a cause that gives so much to so many local young people and plays such a vital role in the community.
“The Trauma Recovery Centre is a stone’s throw from our new store, so is front of mind for both our team and our customers. We look forward to working with TRC to support their services this year.”
Betsy de Thierry, Founding Director of the Trauma Recovery Centre, said: “We are delighted to be the chosen charity of the year for the new M&S Foodhall and are excited about the partnership between our organisations over the coming year.
“We are grateful for the brilliant enthusiasm of Stacey and the M&S team and for their support to see children at TRC recover from trauma.”
The TRC has four projects:
- TRC Therapy Centre – A purpose-built therapeutic play centre in Bath, providing play, art and creative therapy for children and their carers who are facing trauma and extreme challenges.
- TRC Training Centre – A centre providing training to professionals who work with children, young people and families affected by trauma e.g. education professionals, clinicians, social workers, the police, health visitors.
- The Treehouse Project – An after-care service for UK survivors of human trafficking.
- Oakside Creative Education Centre – A specially designed therapeutic space staffed by qualified teachers and psychotherapists trained in trauma care.
For more information about the Trauma Recovery Centre, visit www.trc-uk.org.
