Top 50 Indie Fraser’s Retail’s forecourt in Caterton, Oxfordshire has been building a good name for itself by striving to be at the forefront of community fundraising.

BP and Spar-branded Carterton has been heavily involved with the town’s mayor Cllr Norman MacRae and his nominated charity for the past 12 months.

The store has helped raise funds for Helen and Douglas House, the first hospice in the world for children, by allowing the mayor to place collection tins on the store’s counter and to host a forecourt collection in his mayoral robes on Easter Sunday. The store also donated one day’s takings from its fresh coffee machine.

Cllr MacRae MBE said: “I am indebted to Mark Wilson of Spar Carterton, and to the owners, the Fraser brothers, for the fantastic support they have given me over the past year.

“I have been working hard to raise funds for Helen and Douglas House and the store’s efforts have enabled me to raise some £800 in total for a cause which entirely funded by donation, collections and the like. This total will be gratefully received by ‘The House’.

“In addition to allowing me to collect money at the station, the owners have kindly donated prizes for raffles at the fund raising events that I have been hosting.”

Helen and Douglas house isn’t the only cause to benefit from the Frasers’ generosity – others which have received help include the Poppy Appeal, the Lions Club of Carterton, Sobell House Hospice Charity, Cerebra and Brize Norton and Carterton District Guiding Association.

Operations manager of Fraser’s Retail Mark Wilson said: “We do charity work so we can forge a strong relationship with our local community. A few members of staff have children which have benefitted from the work we do and it really gets us recognised in the community.

“We try to go a little deeper than just throwing money at an organisation. We like to get to know the people we help and this bond is what makes us different; we are a family run business and not just a faceless cause.”

Cllr MacRae continued: “The generosity displayed is a fine example of the Big Society in operation. This is a business that clearly supports the local community and on behalf of Helen and Douglas House, I would like to say thank you so much.”

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