Anthony Nolan was Wilkinsons Charity of the Year for 2010/11. It’s a fantastic example of how well a corporate partnership can work and raised an incredible £1,667,852 to fund our lifesaving work, as well as increasing awareness and the number of donors on the bone marrow register.

Wilkinsons really went the extra mile, by involving staff at every level of the business from the board to team members to their distribution centres, and even getting their suppliers in on the act.

Wilkinson team members took part in running, cycling and zip-sliding fundraising events, whilst in-store they organised a variety of activities including dressing up and face painting. Key suppliers, including P&G, Unilever, Galaxy and Baby Bio, also pledged money.

In addition, 293 members of staff have signed up to the Anthony Nolan register, which matches potential donors to patients in need of transplant, and Karin Swann, Family Non-Executive Director and joint Chair of Wilkinson, celebrated the end of the partnership by walking 80 miles from Wilkinson Head Office to the Blackpool store over five days.

Our partnership with Wilkinson has exceeded all our expectations. Not only have the Wilkinson team been enthusiastic and easy to work with, but most importantly they’ve really embraced our cause, and the huge amount of money they’ve raised will help us save more lives.