Help young carers with Christmas sandwiches

Customers will be able to help young carers across the UK this Christmas, by purchasing special festive sandwiches from The Co-operative Group.

The Co-operative launched three own-brand Christmas sandwiches on 10 November which enable consumers to give charity donations simply when buying their lunch. When purchased, 10p from each sale will go towards funding an online support service for young carers.

YCNet - part of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers - is the only dedicated website and online support service for children and young people under the age of 18, who help to look after someone in their family with an illness, disability, drug/alcohol addiction or mental health problem. Some of the young carers are only five years old.

Earlier this year The Co-operative Group, launched its multi-million pound Inspiring Young People campaign. This is part of its ongoing support and commitment to helping young people in communities across the UK.

The three delicious sandwiches - all £2.50 - include a traditional Turkey, Stuffing, Bacon & Cranberry variety, featuring seasonal food such as butter basted turkey, pork, sage & onion stuffing with a sweet cranberry chutney, mayonnaise and smoke flavour sweetcure bacon on soft malted bread; a Wiltshire Ham & Braised Red Cabbage sandwich with apple and raisin chutney, mayonnaise and spinach on malted mixed grain & seed bread, and a Christmas Dinner Triple, which includes prawn cocktail, turkey & stuffing and cheddar cheese & chutney variants.

Helen Shaw, Sandwich Buyer at The Co-operative, commented: “The young carers’ online service - YCNet - provides a much-needed lifeline for many of these brave and inspiring young people across the country. We’re proud to be raising both money and awareness for this vital service, and this initiative is a great example of The Co-operative’s ongoing commitment to young people.”

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Notes to Editors:
For further information about the sandwiches and local stores, customers can contact The Co-operative Customer Careline on (freephone) 0800 0686 727, and for further information about The Co-operative’s inspiring young people campaign, please visit www.co-operative.coop/youngpeople

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is the largest provider of comprehensive support services, reaching over 400,000 carers, including approximately 25,000 young carers, through a unique network of 144 independently managed Carers’ Centres, 85 young carers’ services and interactive websites, www.carers.org and www.youngcarers.net. To find your nearest Carers’ Centre, call 0844 800 4361.November 2010

For further information, pictures and samples please contact:
Eve Alexander, Senior Public Relations Officer, The Co-operative Group, Tel: 0161 827 5895 Email: eve.alexander@co-operative.coop

Contact Information

Eve Alexander

Senior Public Relations Officer

The Co-operative Group

Contact via E-mail