Pictured ‘Making Every Moment Special in the Community’ are (l-r) Ryan Lemon (M&S Head of Region for Northern Ireland), Stuart Buchanan (General Secretary & CEO, YMCA North Down), Wendy Loughridge (M&S Bangor Store Manager), Peter McDonald (Chairperson, Harbour Ward Community Association) and Irene McDonald (Community Worker, YMCA North Down.

As part of Make it Matter Day in June, Marks & Spencer committed to support M&S colleagues in delivering one million hours of community volunteering by 2025, to help make a difference to the projects and initiatives that really matter in the communities it serves.

M&S kick started the volunteering in Bangor by hosting a community clean-up day at the YMCA North Down’s premises on High Street. M&S staff cleaned, painted and weeded the area in preparation for the mounting of a mural to coincide with YMCA Founders Day on 6th June. The M&S project brings together several organisations who ordinarily would not be working together, including Harbour Ward Community Association, Boom! Studios and neighbouring landlords and business owners.

Nationwide, employees in every M&S store will join their colleagues in Bangor by helping to transform local projects that make a real difference. In total, over 50,000 colleagues will support more than 500 community projects across the breadth of the UK. 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.

Wendy Loughridge, Store Manager of M&S Bangor, said: “We were really excited to come together to support YMCA North Down. Volunteering can make a profound difference to the communities in which we live, work and play – we believe that lots of the small actions from lots of people, can collectively have a huge impact.”

Stuart Buchanan General Secretary & CEO at YMCA said: "YMCA North Down, along with our partners in Harbour Ward Community Association and Boom! Studios, are delighted to be involved in the M&S Making Every Moment Special in the Community initiative. This project is a unique opportunity for us to bring local businesses, residents and young people together to make a real difference to our area, and to support local young people to present a positive and creative vision for the future of Bangor. We are grateful to our colleagues in M&S Bangor for their generous support, and look forward to enjoying the 50th anniversary celebrations with them."

M&S Bangor will assist two other charities during the campaign. Staff will reinvigorate a neglected therapy garden at Cancer Focus, and use their merchandising skills to revamp the Orchardville Society store with a fresh new display.

To get involved in the online conversation, follow @MarksandSpencer and #SpendItWell.