THE Wilko’s Magor distribution centre has raised more than £32,000 for the Gwent Wildlife Trust in the past year.

As the centre’s chosen charity of the year for 2016/17, the team has raised funds through activities such as bake sales and pop up stands at the Newport Gwent Dragons games, local community events and Gwent Wildlife Trust family days at Magor Marsh. This generosity has been boosted by Wilko’s national team, who have contributed a percentage of their carrier bag levy income and funds raised through activities such as their annual charity ball at Leeds Royal Armouries.

Debbie Stenner, marketing manager at GWT said: “We have been completely bowled over, not just by the amount raised for us by Wilko, but also all the incredible amount of time and energy that Wilko team members have put in.

“We’re so grateful to the charities team, especially Elaine Griffiths, Rose Phelps and their families who have given us so much of their time to raise awareness of Gwent Wildllife Trusts’ work and raise funds to support it.

“Wilko’s Caldicot distribution centre is located within the beautiful and wonderfully biodiverse Gwent Levels landscape. Our Magor Marsh nature reserve, just up the road, provides a special place for local people to enjoy and learn about the natural world. The wildlife and natural environment of the Gwent Levels is particularly under threat at this time, so we’re incredibly grateful to have Wilko’s support which is helping us secure the future of many important habitats and species, which might otherwise be lost.”

And Wilko has announced that it is extending the current charity of the year partnership with Gwent Wildlife Trust until January 2018. Hannah O’Sullivan, Charity and Community Co-ordinator at Wilko said: ““As a family-run business, supporting great work in our communities is at the heart of what we do at Wilko, helping to cement our place within the local communities we serve and enabling hard working families to be the best they can be. We’re extremely proud of our team members at our centre in Magor for all the hard work they have put in to supporting the Gwent Wildlife Trust.”