Action Cancer patron Nuala McKeever, centre, SuperValu Brand Manager Jackie McCloskey, right, and Action Cancer’s Kerry McCrea get ready for the ‘SuperValu 20p Challenge’.

Independent SuperValu stores across Northern Ireland are preparing for seven days of fundraising in aid of their community partner Action Cancer, which will mark the second anniversary of the local cancer charity’s Big Bus service.

As part of the fundraising week, labelled ‘The 20p Challenge’, SuperValu customers, staff and members of the public will be asked to donate 20 pence pieces in a fundraising drive to keep the state-of-the-art mobile cancer screening and health promotion unit on the road.

The Action Cancer Big Bus was launched in 2006 by Gloria Hunniford, whose daughter Caron Keating died from breast cancer. It is costing £1.5 million to operate the unit over the first three years, with £612,000 of that figure being committed by main sponsor SuperValu. 

In the first two years almost 9,000 people have used early detection, cancer prevention and support services housed on the Big Bus, at nearly 400 locations.