Pirates find treasure for Marie Curie (From Chard & Ilminster News)

Pirates find treasure for Marie Curie

9:41am Tuesday 23rd December 2008 in Chard By Richard Purdon

ILMINSTER shoppers were treated to a nautical display on Friday, as supermarket employees came to work dressed as pirates to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

But staff were sadly reminded just how important the charity is after receiving news that a friend and colleague had passed away following a battle against cancer.

The crew really pulled together and raised their target total of £1,000, which will be topped up to £1,200 by the Tesco Charitable Trust.

Helena Jones, collecting on the door on Friday, December 19, said: “Nine out of ten people are giving, so the collection is going really well.”

The local community came together to give that little bit extra for charity, enjoying facepainting, fair games and plenty of laughs with the staff tug-o-war competition.

Store Manager Emma Ponfield said: “Stores across the South West have been holding sponsored days to raise money, and ours has really been received well by the town.

“The staff are really enjoying it too, being a pirate makes everything a lot more fun!”

With a selection of artwork on display from Cygnets Pre-School, based at Swanmead Community School in Ilminster, there was plenty to see on a fun day spent raising money for a very important cause.