That’s right, 365 days of kindness of all shapes and sizes, each designed to put a smile on people’s faces and which have so far raised over £15,000 for charity. Throughout the campaign’s first few weeks, Yummy teams have helped raise money for local charity events, gone on a crazy sailing adventure (where they battled it out alongside the Duchess of Cambridge!), dressed up in double denim, made sandwiches for the homeless, given away tasty treats, celebrated RAOK’s across the country, rewarded an extraordinary RAOK performed by an employee at Morrisons in Basingstoke and much, much more.
Co-owner, Anthony Pender, said: “RAOK365 is just the beginning and it’s been bloody amazing so far. We want to involve all our loons – as they’re known in the Yummy family – and soon enough, hopefully every single person in the UK. I’ve gotten in on the fun myself and got to play pirate this weekend as I embarked on a sailing trip during the Interbrewery Regatta alongside the directors from Yummy and team members from CPL training. The public’s support was incredible and we raised an incredible £15,000!”
The campaign started on Friday 13 May in an effort to bring some luck to those with friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday 13th, that is); ice-cold Frappuccino’s were gifted to customers to enjoy in the sunshine. The drink was created by Will, team member at country pub The Wiremill in Surrey. Keen on rewarding and promoting its talent, Yummy even decided to add the delicious drink to its menu for the entire weekend.
Day two saw £2,300 raised for the Save The Children Refugee Appeal at an event hosted by Stokeyparents, for which The Stoke Newington Tea House donated a night for two at its wine and cheese bar, Bouverie Road, and The Wiremill donated the biggest prize of the evening – a weekend away with dinner and bubbly, which went for £300 in the charity auction!
Anthony added: “The campaign isn’t just about RAOK’s within Yummy. Last week we highlighted some special people who have shown extraordinary kindness, such as Lin Lisle-Fenwick, a Morrisons employee who helped a customer by playing with her autistic child during a difficult shopping trip.”
“Random Acts of Kindness is about making someone else smile, with the only reason being that you can. Lin did just that and that’s why we decided she deserves a weekend away at one of our country pubs. Our Head of RAOK has spoken too Lin and she was thrilled – we’re just waiting for her to pick a date to visit us!”
There’s plenty more in the pipeline, especially during summer with a BBQ cook off amongst Yummy chefs, a Tea Party in honour of her majesty the Queen in conjunction with the Wimbledon Guild and a a ping-pong party with Wimbledon-inspired cocktails.
