Two Durham charities received practical support from employees at the Amazon fulfilment centre during a busy Great North Run weekend, with donated drinks, snacks and sweet treats helping runners and fundraising teams stay fuelled.
The donation was made to Heel and Toe Children’s Charity and Solan Connor Fawcett Family Cancer Trust. Amazon employees came together to pack and provide the supplies as both organisations took part in events linked to the North East’s major running weekend.
Support for runners and fundraising teams
Heel and Toe’s participants competed across several events. Its teams took part in a charity Golf Day, the Mini/Junior Great North Run and the Great North Run itself.
More than 80 runners representing Solan Connor Fawcett Family Cancer Trust received supplies at the finish line of the half marathon. The support was aimed at helping the charity’s runners after they completed the event and continued their fundraising efforts.
Michael Collier, Site Leader at Amazon in Durham, said the company was pleased to support both charities. He also recognised the scale of the event, which attracted more than 60,000 runners across the North East.
“It was a pleasure to donate supplies to both charities this weekend. More than 60,000 runners took to the streets of the North East to raise money for such wonderful causes, and I hope our donation helped keep those racing for both charities well fuelled.”
Mandy Hammond, Community Fundraiser from Heel and Toe Children’s Charity, thanked Amazon employees for the donation. She said the support helped keep the charity’s teams supplied throughout the weekend.
“I’d like to say thank you to everyone at Amazon in Durham for this fantastic donation. The kindness and support means so much to us and kept our amazing teams fuelled throughout the weekend.”
Michelle Atkinson, Fundraising and Development Lead at Solan Connor Fawcett Family Cancer Trust, also praised the backing given to the charity’s Great North Run team.
“We are grateful to everyone at Amazon in Durham for getting behind our Great North Run team. The support and kindness shown to our runners is truly appreciated.”
Amazon’s wider community work
Amazon said community donations and employee volunteering are among the ways it supports the areas where it operates. Its wider programmes include the Multibank initiative, which the company co-founded with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need.
The Junction Multibank opened in 2024 with Middlesbrough charity The Junction. According to the supplied information, the initiative has donated more than 12 million surplus goods to over 800,000 families across Wales, Scotland, Greater Manchester, London, Tees Valley and Birmingham.
Amazon said the Multibank is due to send 1 million orders to families across the UK this year. The company also said its Amazon Future Engineer programme has provided free STEM education to more than one million students across the UK.
Through Amazon Local Good, its pro bono logistics programme, the company helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need. Amazon also partners with Comic Relief as the official home of the charity’s Red Nose.
The company said that, together with its employees, customers and partners, it has raised more than £4.8 million for projects supporting people across the UK and around the world.