STAFF at a St Helier department store will be swapping tills for treadmills today and tomorrow in aid of a domestic abuse charity.
Employees at De Gruchy will be taking it in turns to complete a full 26.2 mile marathon to raise money for Freeda.
Formerly Jersey Women’s Refuge, Freeda is a charity which supports victims of domestic abuse and offers a ‘safe house’ for those escaping violence at home. The organisation is also De Gruchy’s charity partner of the year.
The in-store marathon coincides with the run-up to the Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon this weekend, with the aim of giving staff the chance to embrace the spirit of the event. Customers are encouraged enjoy the fun and cheer them on.
A treadmill, donated by Islander Thom Hennessy, will be placed under the escalator in the Beauty Department, with members of staff taking turns walking on the treadmill until the full distance of 26.2 miles is covered.
There will be collection buckets out for donations however these can also be made online via the teams JustGiving page, linked here.
Simon Youden, store director at de Gruchy, was due to start the challenge at 9.30am this morning. He said: “We wanted to do something fun and visible in store to raise funds for Freeda and also to show our support for Jersey’s marathon weekend. Walking a marathon as a team on a treadmill will be quite a challenge and we hope our customers will get behind us, donate generously and help us to fundraise for Freeda.”
