Charlies Stores raise over £174k for charity Air Ambulance Charity

In 2024 alone, a collective effort across all stores saw an impressive £22,934.89 raised. Taking the overall contributions from the committed staff and generous customers of Charlies Stores to a remarkable total of £174,016 for the Air Ambulance.

Director of Income Generation for the Wales Air Ambulance, Phae Jones (left), Charlies Stores Managing Director Rebecca Lloyd (middle), Regional Fundraising Manager, Kate Thomas (right) with cheque for the Air Ambulance

Over the 2024 festive season Charlies Stores welcomed back some familiar, friendly faces to entertain customers. Coed-y-Dinas featured singing farm animals and a cheerful snowman, while Carmarthen welcomed the beloved reindeer. Queensferry had a surprise visit from some yetis, Shrewsbury entertained three playful penguins, and the talking reindeer made a joyful return to the Parc-y-Llyn store in Aberystwyth, spreading warm wishes to all the customers! As part of its ongoing commitment to charity, Charlies Stores once again donated £2 from every real Christmas tree sold, adding to the incredible fundraising total.

Phae Jones, Director of Income Generation for the Wales Air Ambulance, says: “We would like to thank Charlies Stores, their staff and customers for their continuous support and generosity to the Wales Air Ambulance and donating another fantastic amount to us again this year. Thank you for making a difference and being an essential part of our mission.”

Coed-y-Dinas took Christmas celebrations a step further to raise money for the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, offering experiences such as donkey rides, visits from reindeer, and wreath-making workshops led by talented local floral designer Leanne from Serendipity Flowers.

Coed-y-Dinas Store Manager, Nicola Beck (left), Seasonal Sales Assistant, Anya (second from the left) Seasonal Supervisor, Jemma (second from the right) and Lingen Davies Relationship Fundraiser Steph Smith staff (left) with cheque for Lingen Davies

An outstanding £14,416 for the Wales & Midlands Air Ambulance, £6,457 for the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, and £1,602 for the DPJ Foundation was raised. Staff at both store and head office also showed their support in other ways, wearing pink in solidarity with Breast Cancer Awareness and donning festive jumpers in aid of Save the Children.

Steph Smith from Lingen Davies conveyed her sincere gratitude to the team at Coed-y-Dinas and their customers for ongoing support, saying: "On behalf of everyone throughout Mid Wales and Shropshire who will benefit from this fundraising I would like to say a big thank you.

"Support of this scale in the community is an essential part of our fundraising efforts and will make all the difference to our work. We exist to support cancer services in throughout our region, making a positive difference to the situation for more than 4,500 new patients every year accessing the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre.”

Rebecca Lloyd, Managing Director of Charlies Stores, expressed her appreciation, stating: “We are continually amazed by the generosity of our customers and staff. Each year, we strive to create meaningful festive experiences at Charlies, and we feel proud that many Christmas traditions are celebrated in our stores. Raising a significant amount for such valuable charities makes all the efforts even more fulfilling. We are so thankful for the ongoing support and wish to extend our gratitude to everyone who visited and donated generously.”