RETAIL TRUST GRAND SCOTTISH BALL RAISES £137,790 FOR SCOTTISH RETAIL STAFF IN NEED
The great and the good of Scotland’s retail community rallied in Glasgow last night (6 December 2012) to raise £137,790 for Retail Trust, the only charity that looks after all three million people working in retail.
The James Bond themed Grand Scottish Ball, sponsored by Land Securities, more than surpassed last year’s fundraising total as Scotland’s retail and business community, and a smattering of celebrities turned out in force to support the charity.
The glamorous black tie event which took place at the Hilton, Glasgow, was hosted by stylist to the stars, Mark Heyes and was attended by famous faces including fashion designer for Debenhams Reynold Pearce and five of the Glasgow Warriors.
Among the 400 guests who attended were high-profile representatives from retailers such as Debenhams, House of Fraser, Harvey Nichols, Chanel, BrightHouse, Primark, Estee Lauder, Slaters and Ocean Terminal.
All funds raised on the evening will go towards financing the Retail Trust Retirement Estate in Crookfur and services offered through the Retail Trust Helpline 0808 801 0808 which in the last year alone has seen a 96% increase in requests for counselling in Scotland alone.
Michelle MacLeod, Chair of the Retail Trust Grand Scottish Ball Committee said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the retailers who have worked hard throughout the year to raise money for Retail Trust and the invaluable support it provides.
“Our congratulations must also go to Elaine Webster who received Retail Trust’s Outstanding Contribution Award. She has been decorating the Grand Scottish Ball since the 1990s and has personally helped to drive awareness and raise funds for Retail Trust in Scotland for 33 years.”
To book tickets for the Retail Trust London Ball on 28thJanuary 2013 visit www.retailtrust.org.uk/londonball
ENDS
For further information and images please contact:
Michelle Holton or Kirstin Aitken at The BIG Partnership
Tel: 0141 333 9585 / 07957 870 514
Email: firstname.surname@bigpartnership.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Retail Trust (registered charity numbers 1090136 and SC039684) is the only charity that looks after the needs of all 3 million people working in retail and currently provides grants and services of approximately £1.5 million per annum to people who are working in or have worked in the retail industry or associated businesses.
The Retail Trust Helpline is a free and confidential service that provides vital support and a range of services including: free counselling, free legal advice, free debt advice, redundancy support through their ReWork programme, hardship grants, course funding, as well as retirement housing for retired retailers throughout the UK. The Retail Trust Helpline can be accessed online at www.retailtrust.org.uk/help, by calling 0808 801 0808, emailing helpline@retailtrust.org.uk or by texting the word ‘HELPLINE’ to 88010* with any request or query.
In the past year alone, requests coming through to The Retail Trust Helpline for counselling have increased by 125%. Retail staff needing debt advice has increased by 50%. Requests for redundancy support are up 40%, and demand for critical incident support has grown by a massive 229%.
ReWork is a Retail Trust service for people who have been made redundant from retail. The programme (worth over £1,000) helps users identify a career path that suits their needs and can help find potential employers. ReWork offers access to a free Guide to Resolving Redundancy, free Personal Career Coaching and Resolving Redundancy Workshops.
The Retail Trust Employee Assistance Programme is the only EAP that is designed specifically for retailers by retailers and is run exclusively for retail and associated businesses. Retail Trust currently has over 120 EAP partners throughout the retail sector and associated businesses and currently looks after over 777,000 staff. www.retailtrust.org.uk/eap
Follow us on Twitter @RetailTrust
Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/RetailTrust
