Eastbourne M&S staff help a local charity Make it Matter

The 11-strong group, led by Chloe Evans, helped organise the event for families affected by the loss of a child as part of the company's Make it Matter day at the start of this month.Make it Matter is part of the recently launched M&S campaign #SpenditWell which is about inspiring people to make every moment special by focusing on the experiences, people and things that really matter in life.Eastbourne store's chosen charity You Raise Me Up was founded by Fraser and Jane Brooks after their daughter Megan died suddenly just nine days before her 18th birthday party in May 2011.Fraser and Jane, who live in Eastbourne, found themselves in desperate need of comfort from those who had experienced a similar loss and so the aim of the charity is to provide compassion and support to those families who have suffered the loss of a child aged between 16 and 25.The Eastbourne store team organised an indoor bike ride in the store that raised more than £400 for the day then put on an afternoon tea, games and activities for the family day that was held at Eastbourne Rugby Club.Deputy store manager Kirsty Mitchell said, 'The idea of the day is that volunteering can make a real difference to the communities in which we live, work and play.'We all really enjoyed helping out and it was lovely to meet and talk to the families. It was great fun but emotional too.'Nationwide, more than 50,000 M&S colleagues supported more than 500 community projects across the UK.Marks & Spencer nationally has committed to support colleagues in delivering one million hours of community volunteering by 2025 to help make a difference to projects that really matter in the communities it serves.