Team Cooplands Completes Six-Mile Charity Walk for Candlelighters

Walking shoes at the ready! On Wednesday 26th August, Team Cooplands took on a six-mile charity walk around our home town of Scarborough to raise vital funds for our charity partner, Candlelighters.

Our team followed the Scarborough 400 Giant Deckchair Trail, taking us through the town and along the North and South Bays for plenty of fundraising, fresh sea air and even more steps!

We took on the challenge with a £500 fundraising target for Candlelighters, helping support the incredible work they do for children and families affected by childhood cancer across Yorkshire.

Six miles around our home town for a brilliant cause

Scarborough has been home to Cooplands since our very first shop opened here back in 1885, so we couldn’t think of a more fitting place to pull on our walking shoes and clock up the miles for such an important cause.

The Giant Deckchair Trail was created as part of Scarborough’s big 400th anniversary celebrations, marking four centuries since the discovery of the town’s spa waters helped establish it as Britain’s first seaside resort.

Ten giant deckchairs have popped up at locations across the town, and our six-mile route took in some real Scarborough favourites along the way. From Peasholm Park and the North Bay Railway to the Rotunda Museum, Scarborough Spa and South Cliff Gardens, there was certainly plenty to see as the miles added up.

A huge well done and thank you goes to everyone from Team Cooplands who got involved, put in the steps and helped make the walk happen.

Supporting the incredible work of Candlelighters

For families facing childhood cancer, life can change in an instant. Candlelighters is there to support children, young people and their families across Yorkshire through some of the incredibly difficult challenges that can follow.

The charity provides practical, emotional and financial support to families when they need it most, while also investing in vital childhood cancer research.

Candlelighters is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, making this an especially significant year for the charity. With no government funding, fundraising plays a hugely important role in helping its team continue providing vital support to families across Yorkshire.

Continuing our partnership with Candlelighters

Our walk is the latest step in a partnership with Candlelighters that began in May 2026, when we announced that Cooplands shops and colleagues would be getting behind the charity throughout the year.

Since then, Candlelighters collection boxes have appeared in our shops, while our teams also got involved with Pink It Up Week in June to help turn Yorkshire pink and raise awareness of the charity’s work.

The Scarborough Deckchair Trail walk was one of the activities we committed to when our partnership first began, so we’re incredibly proud to have now seen Team Cooplands complete the challenge.

Speaking when the partnership launched, John Ruddock, CEO of Cooplands Bakery, said:

“Supporting the communities in which Cooplands operates is at the heart of our business. Candlelighters do an incredible job of supporting families in those communities who are impacted by childhood cancer and we are proud to be able to use our shops and colleagues to help them to do even more.”

The walk is over, but there’s still time to give

Plenty of steps later, our charity walk may be complete, but there’s still time to help us reach our £500 fundraising target.

The money raised will support Candlelighters and the vital practical, emotional and financial support they provide to children and families affected by childhood cancer across Yorkshire.

Our JustGiving page is still open, so it’s not too late to donate and help Candlelighters continue being there for Yorkshire families when they need it most.