Homeless Choir charity to receive bite out of Christmas sandwich donations

Choir with No Name's story to be found on Pret packaging nationwide

The Pret a Manger Christmas menu launches across the UK today, and with it the stories of five homeless-support charities including Choir With No Name

Choir with No Name's story has been chosen to feature on sandwich and salad boxes sold in Pret's 300 UK shops, as well as on the company's website and social media channels, which is a really exciting opportunity for us. We receives annual funding from Pret's charity arm, the Pret Foundation Trust (PFT), which goes towards providing nutritious hot meals to our choir members after every rehearsal.

The PFT supports hundreds of homeless shelters and organisations around the UK every year through nightly food donations, funding support, and through its Apprenticeship Scheme; a programme designed to help homeless people and ex-offenders back into work.

Money is raised, in part, through donations from select products sold throughout the year, with donations increasing significantly over Christmas. This year, 50p from every sandwich and baguette sold from Pret's Christmas range will be donated to the PFT to support its charity partners, including Choir with No Name.

Pret's two million weekly customers will have the opportunity to learn about the five charities every time they buy something from the Christmas range between now and the New Year.

Rachel Clare, Fundraising and Communications Manager at Choir with No Name said, “We are really excited to be one of the charities chosen for Pret a Manger's Christmas campaign. The support we receive from the PFT throughout the year is fantastic, and this Christmas campaign will enable us to reach out to a new audience of potential choir fans and supporters who we wouldn't reach otherwise. It's a wonderful opportunity for us, so we're very thankful to Pret for choosing to support us this Christmas."

The campaign coincides with the Choir with No Name annual Big Christmas Sing-along gig taking place in the iconic Royal Festival Hall in London's Southbank Centre on Dec 11th, which will see all four Choir with No Name choirs come together on one stage to perform all the Christmas classics, and inviting the audience to join in.

Nicki Fisher, Head of the Pret Foundation Trust said, “The Pret Foundation Trust raised an incredible £1.5m for our charity partners last year, and this year we're hoping to beat that figure again. Donations from our Christmas products play a huge part in this."

“This year's 'A Little Thank You' campaign is our chance to connect our customers to some of the organisations they support every time they buy one of our soups throughout the year, or our sandwiches at Christmas. Whether knowingly or not, they're making a huge difference to the lives of people who need it most."

For more information please contact:

Rachel Clare | rachel@choirwithnoname.org | t: 0207 202 6648 | m: 07870 668320

Or for Pret enquiries:

Alice Clarke | PR Manager, Pret A Manger | alice.clarke@pret.com | t: 07974 198 088

Note to Editors:

About The Choir with No Name:
The Choir with No Name (CWNN) runs choirs for people who have experienced homelessness and other men and women on the margins of society. Our aim is to enable our members to make friends, build their confidence and skills and find or re-find their place in the world. Whether they have been homeless, have a mental health problem or are otherwise struggling, we give them a safe, positive and supportive environment in which to sing away their worries, have fun and flourish as individuals.

Our first choir – in King's Cross, London - was founded in 2008 by Marie Benton, a professional musician and at the time also a senior project worker at homeless accommodation provider St Mungo's. That first choir became a huge success, and since then we have established three more choirs, one in Birmingham, one in Liverpool and another in London.

For more info visit www.choirwithnoname.org