Currys Wednesbury donates £2,000 to Smile for Joel
Generous staff at an electrical retailer in the Black Country have raised thousands of pounds to help Smile for Joel – in a year which saw donations to the charity plunge.
Staff at Currys in Wednesbury held various events, including cake and samosa sales, as well as keeping collection boxes at the tills for customers to donate.
Overall, the company raised £2,000 for Smile for Joel – which was set up by Suzy Evans and her son Owen Richards, after members of their family were killed in the 2015 Tunisia terror attack.
Suzy said she was delighted with the donation from Currys, which was particularly welcome after their fundraising was hit by the Covid pandemic.
She said: “We are overwhelmed with the support we have been given by Currys J9. They have not only been fundraising for us, they have also donated very generous raffle prizes.
"They are so supportive and we feel very honoured.
“Lockdown had a massive effect on Smile For Joel as all our events were cancelled.
“Fundraising has been really tough. This is our first big donation and we truly need it at the moment.”
Smile For Joel was set up to support families affected by terrorism and murder. The money donated by Currys will be used to fund holidays for bereaved families.
The charity also raises awareness of safe travel abroad and supports the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, Prevent.
It was set up by Suzy and her son Owen after the 2015 terrorist attack in Tunisia which saw 38 people killed, including Suzy’s older son Joel, 19, brother Adrian Evans, 49, and dad Patrick Evans, 78. Owen, just 16 at the time, was in Tunisia with his brother, uncle and grandad, but survived.
Smile For Joel has a series of events lined up post-lockdown, including Jump For Joel, a fundraising skydive, on July 3, and Run For Joel, on September 5.
To get involved or find out more, visit www.smileforjoel.com.
