Meet Our Superdrug Charity Partners: Ways to Give Back

You may have heard us say here at Superdrug that ‘Doing Good Feels Super’. To us, this isn’t a catchy slogan, it’s our mission statement that drives who we are. It's why we're constantly striving to make improvements across all four of our CSR pillars: our planet, our customers, our people and our community.

Over the years, we have teamed up with several incredible charities hoping that we can spread those super feel-good vibes as far and wide as we can. Not only do we help support our charity partners via much-needed donations, but we also love shouting about their work from the rooftops.

So, if you’ve thrown your spare change in our charity buckets (often found at our till-points) or bought our charity-collab products, we want to say a big THANK YOU. Without your generosity, we wouldn’t be able to continue championing their life-changing work. If you want to find out more – whether that’s extra ways you can help or where your money has made a difference – you’ve come to the right place.

Marie Curie

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Our partnership with Marie Curie has been ongoing since 2013. In those years, alongside our sister company Savers, we've raised over £10 million (equal to approximately 500,000 hours of Marie Curie nursing care) in lots of creative ways and most recently ramped up the fundraising to help the charity adapt and respond to the impact of the pandemic.

Why? The charity supports a cause close to our hearts, as they provide care and support so that people living with a terminal illness, and their families, can make the most of every moment they have together. From physical support like pain management to emotional support, over 2,000 Marie Curie nurses and 9 Marie Curie Hospices offer round-the-clock, expert care, while their Support Line and Bereavement Support Service offer a beacon of light to many.

How you can get involved

First up, keep a lookout for the Marie Curie yellow daffodil logo. Whenever you spot it, whether it’s gracing one of our Own Brand products or as part of an online offer, you’ll be simultaneously donating to the cause while you shop. We also do regular in-store fundraising events too which, with the support of our customers, has seen us raise a whopping £1.7 million (and counting!).

You can also find out more about how to volunteer and donate HERE.

The Lady Garden Foundation

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Did you know that 30%* of women under the age of 50 do not attend their cervical screening appointments, and over 7,500 women die each year of gynaecological cancers? We don’t want to scare you, but that smear test reminder you keep putting on snooze is way more important than you may think.

With this in mind, we're so proud to be the first UK high street retailer to team up with The Lady Garden Foundation. The gynaecological cancer charity shared their expertise and knowledge with our in-house nurses and pharmacists to help people spot the signs and symptoms early and promote cervical screening attendance.

We’ve rolled out this gynaecological cancer awareness programme across all of our 80 health clinics across the UK. So, the next time you have an in-clinic service appointment with us, you’ll also be provided with crucial information on the five gynaecological cancers (cervical, ovarian, vaginal, vulval and womb) as well as a handy symptoms tracker which you can then pass on to your GP.

How you can get involved

Tell people. Tell your friends and family. Open up the conversation with them and get them tracking and talking about any concerns or symptoms they’re experiencing. The key here is education, so by passing on the message, you’re supporting the charity and breaking the unspoken taboo there seems to surround gynaecological health.

You can find out more about our partnership HERE.

Emily Attack with Superdrug and The Lady Garden

CoppaFeel!

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You may know your bra size, but how well do you really know your chest? As well as the back of your hand? Perhaps not. This is why when we heard all about CoppaFeel!’s mission, to encourage regular breast checks, we knew we could put our in-house experts to work spreading the word.

As the first breast cancer charity in the UK solely focused on creating awareness amongst young people, CoppaFeel!’s mission to promote early diagnosis, symptom awareness and regular at-home check-ups struck a chord with us. When we learnt that 82% of women and 62% of men feel uncomfortable discussing changes in their breasts*, we understood just how important it is to arm each other with the tools to check at home as well as empowering each other to take that next step medically if something doesn’t feel right.

The pros at CoppaFeel! have imparted their wisdom and trained up our in-house nurses, all of which are available to chat with at your next in-clinic appointment. They’ll be able to give you tips on how to check your breasts or pecs, advice on the signs and symptoms to be aware of and what to do next if you have any concerns. All you need to do is ask.

How you can get involved

Again, talking about breast checking openly with friends and family will start opening up the conversation channels and raise awareness. You can also swot up on all of the handy tips and advice provided by CoppaFeel! HERE.

Embargoed until 0000 Tuesday March 19 2019

Love Island’s Olivia Buckland visits a breast check consultation at a Superdrug & CoppaFeel! hub. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday March 11, 2019. Photo credit should read: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire

Beauty Banks

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Co-founded by two major players in the beauty industry, Sali Hughes and Jo Jones, Beauty Banks is a social movement sparked by the belief that being clean is a basic right, not a luxury. No one should ever have to be without basic provisions - we’re talking anything from toothpaste to sanitary products.

Since 2018 we’ve proudly partnered with the initiative to provide Beauty Bank donation bins, which are now in place in over 100 Superdrug stores. Simply pop in an unused toiletry product, and it will get distributed to a registered charity in the UK who can, in turn, get the products to the people who need them the most.

"Beauty Banks is my charity. I co-founded and co-run it with my friend Jo Jones, so it couldn't be closer to my heart. Jo and I have believed passionately from the start that every adult, child and baby in the country has the basic human right to keep clean. How we look, smell and feel matters to our mental health, physical wellbeing, employment prospects, our future opportunities and personal relationships with others. No one should ever have to choose between putting food on the table or soap on their face. Your support of this project will mean someone in Britain won't have to.” Beauty Banks Co-Founder, Sali Hughes

How you can get involved

By dropping off any unused toiletries in one of our in-store Beauty Banks collection points. You can find your nearest store and find out more HERE.

As well as donating beauty products to Beauty Banks, you can also show your support by purchasing a specially designed cosmetic bag, of which 100% of profits go to Beauty Banks. The four Cosmetic Bags, which are made entirely from recycled materials and are available online only, have been designed by Sali Hughes, makeup artists Sam Chapman and Nic Chapman-Haste, Cher Webb and Gary Thompson (aka Plastic Boy). The sale of these limited-edition bags are expected to raise over £50,000 and will go towards supporting people living in hygiene poverty across the UK.

Sorry, this product is currently out of stock.

Superdrug Beauty Banks Cosmetic Bag - Plastic Boy £0.10

Superdrug Beauty Banks Cosmetic Bag - Cher Webb £0.10

Superdrug Beauty Banks Cosmetic Bag - Sam and Nic £0.10

Superdrug Beauty Banks Cosmetic Bag - Sali Hughes £0.10

Operation Smile

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Spreading happiness starts with a smile. Which is why as part of a global campaign, together with our fellow A.S. Watson Group retail partners across the world, we’ve taken part in the ‘Give a Smile’ campaign with charity partner Operation Smile.

Operation Smile is an international medical charity, that has provided over 270,000 free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. Since 2018, we’ve partnered up on their mission and are proud to report that the Give a Smile campaign has funded surgery for more than 1,500 children.