IT'S not just fundraising, it's Marks & Spencer fundraising and staff at the Kidderminster store have raised more than £6,600 for local charity Home-Start Wyre Forest.

The charity, which supports on average 400 children from 200 families each year, offers help, friendship and practical assistance to parents with young children in the Wyre Forest area through a unique service delivered by trained and supported local volunteers.

Employees at M&S Kidderminster committed to take part in a 12-month fundraising campaign for Home-Start, with two team members even tackling the Wyre Forest half marathon last year. Both Shaun Swift, store operations, and Richard Teague, menswear section coordinator, embarked on a six month training plan and both crossed the finish line in just over two hours. Their efforts alone secured £616 for the charity.

Mr Swift said: "Our employees have worked tirelessly to fundraise through a variety of activities including bake sales and bag packing for Home-Start as it’s a charity that is so vital to our area. The feedback and generosity from our customers regarding our fundraising efforts has been fantastic and we’ve pledged to continue to support the charity for the following year. We set out to raise £2,500 for the charity, so I’m thrilled we’ve managed to smash our target and contribute towards our local community.”

Belinda Darby, manager of Home-Start Wyre Forest, said “The fundraising partnership between our charity and M&S Kidderminster has exceeded our expectations of what could be achieved, both in terms of the money raised through customer generosity and Shaun and his colleagues’ amazing efforts, but also in raising our community profile. We are sincerely grateful to everyone at M&S Kidderminster for being so welcoming and supportive, and we can’t wait to see what can be achieved in the coming year with them.”