Marathon walk through Banbury raises money for mental health

Midcounties Co-operative donned their walking boots and hiked 26 miles across Banbury to raise more than ?1,600 for Oxfordshire mental health charity Restore NNL-181022-162858001

Restore, on Calthorpe Street, is The Midcounties Co-operative’s charity partner in Banbury and helps individuals recovering from mental illness to return to life and work across Oxfordshire.

Staff walked from Hanwell Fields Food store to Burchester, Middleton Cheney and Deddington, visiting all of the trading branches within the area including food stores, pharmacies, funeral homes and post offices.

Stuart Newman, Banbury Co-op leadership team ambassador, said: “The 26-mile walk through Banbury was a great way of raising awareness and much-needed funds for our charity partner.

“Restore do incredible work in the region, and we’re very proud to have raised this money for them so that they can continue making a difference to people affected by mental illness within our community.”

Tom Hayes, head of external communications at Restore, said: “The journey to recovery can be long and testing. We’re incredibly grateful for The Midcounties Co-operative’s ongoing fundraising support as it helps us to offer greater support for the people affected.”

Nine Co-operative staff took part in the full length walk as well as two volunteers from Restore.