ANIMAL charity the Scottish SPCA is to receive a financial boost from kind-hearted shop staff.

Scotmid Co-operative has announced the Scottish SPCA as its 2018/19 Charity of the Year.

The partnership between Scotland’s animal welfare charity and the community retailer aims to not only raise £300,000 but also increase awareness of the vital work the charity carries out in local communities across Scotland.

Staff across Scotmid’s 177 stores, Semichem’s 72 stores and 15 Scotmid Co-op Funerals’ offices in Scotland will take part in various fundraising activities including bake sales, sponsored dog walks, an abseil, zip slide, triathlons and much more to support the animal charity.

Kirsteen Campbell, Chief Executive of Scottish SPCA, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Scotmid and are so thankful for their support.

“The partnership provides endless opportunities to raise awareness of our services, educate people on good animal welfare, encourage support for campaigns and of course raise much needed funds.

“Education and prevention is at the heart of what we do and we are delighted that Scotmid has chosen to support the Society to make sure our message continues to be heard across local communities in Scotland.”

John Brodie, Chief Executive of Scotmid Cooperative, added: “There are a lot of plans in the pipeline already for fundraising, so we look forward to talking to members and customers about how they can help us to raise as much money as possible for the Scottish SPCA.”