PARTNERS at Waitrose have been 'tri'-ing extra hard to raise money for OCRA recently, with their own sporting efforts raising a wonderful £900 for the charity.

Twenty-four partners took part in a Waitrose triathlon on March 3, hosted by Parklands Leisure Centre. The staff swam, ran and cycled their way to a 202-mile total, raising £635.

An additional £265 was raised from collection boxes at tills, in the staff room and through other fundraising activities throughout the year.

Section manager for customer service Chrissie Maclellan said: 'It was a great day, seeing everyone working hard and out of breath to help OCRA.

'We couldn't have done it without the help of everyone at Parklands, who were amazing and let us use their facilities for free, not just for the triathlon but practice sessions as well. It was fantastic, and they were brilliant.'

Store partner and master personal trainer Steve Gay helped the team warm up and warm down for the triathlon. He said: 'Everyone really went for it, and gave it everything. I'm sure some of them were a bit stiff the next day but it was worth it.'

Stuart Lord from OCRA said: 'Everyone at OCRA would like to give their thanks to all the partners for their efforts and the positive impact they have as individuals and as a company on the local community. They are different to other organisations in the way they help local organisations.

'The in-store token scheme is one thing, but the partners here giving up their own time is amazing. The time given and the money means the world to us, and we are very thankful to Waitrose for that.'

The next plan for Waitrose is to hold a Community Matters tea party on April 3, inviting representatives from the charities and organisations who have benefitted from the store's Community Matters scheme in the last year to the store to discuss their work.

To find out more about OCRA, visit http://www.ocrasport.org.uk">www.ocrasport.org.uk or call 01837 54546.