Laila Milly Charity Opens New B&M Store in Hemsworth

The arrival of B&M’s latest store in Hemsworth was celebrated by shoppers and staff with the help of a special community charity.

The variety retailer opened its first store in the town on Wednesday, creating 45 jobs at the site of the former Co-op on Market Street.

And to help celebrate the arrival of the brand new Bargains store, B&M invited a very special guest to officially open its doors.

The Laila Milly Foundation aims to enhance the quality of life for children with life limiting illnesses and their families within the local community, and the charity’s co-founder Maya McCormack was gratefully received to cut the ribbon.

Maya’s daughter, who passed away in 2011 after a struggle with the rare neurological condition Aicardi Syndrome, became the inspiration behind the charity whose day centre is located on Kirkby Road.

Ahead of the ribbon cutting, Maya said: “Devastatingly we lost Laila Milly a day before her first birthday to this life limiting condition.

“While Laila received fantastic nursing care in our home, we found it so isolating not having somewhere that you could meet other families who had children with additional/special needs.

She continued, “Through fundraising and with the support of the local and wider community, we set up the charity and opened the doors to our day centre in September 2014. Since then we have been providing a safe and welcoming place for families with children aged 0-5 with complex conditions.

“We are delighted to have been asked to be part of the opening day of the new B&M Hemsworth store. We thank them for their support and look forward to building a great partnership.”

Victoria Sanderson, store manager at B&M Hemsworth said: “B&M is committed to recruiting from the local area and I am delighted we’ve found a great team from in and around Hemsworth.

“We’re really proud to be creating 45 jobs this year and playing our part in the local community. We are delighted to have opened our doors in the town and honoured to have representatives from the Laila Milly Foundation cutting the ribbon to officially mark the opening of our new store”.

Shoppers can expect a wide variety of branded and own label products at the new Bargains store, from groceries and toiletries to toys, homewares and electrical ranges.