DEBENHAMS Lakeside is celebrating after helping raise more than £5,500 for Help for Heroes.

The store managed to raise £5,559.84, making it one of the top ten performing Debenhams stores in the country.

The store strived to raise £1,000, so the team are thrilled to have beaten their target by more than 556%.

Store manager, Peter Moore said: “We’re really proud of the charity fundraising from the team for Help for Heroes, along with the additional charity initiatives throughout the years that Debenhams is associated with.

“The substantial amount raised by the store will help to continually care for our wounded servicemen and women and support their nearest and dearest.”

The fundraising period ran throughout March, with a specific focus on a national collection weekend on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March, when Help for Heroes volunteers were in stores across the country to support the fantastic fundraising and drive awareness of the charity’s inspiring work.

Debenhams is also continually supporting the cause by selling a range of limited edition merchandise, including trend led T-shirts and sweatshirts. All profits from the sale of these products were donated to the charity.

Sitting alongside BBC Children in Need, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Campaign, Help for Heroes is the most recent official charity partner supported by the Debenhams Foundation in the UK. The 200 year old department store chose these charities following feedback from its customers and employees.

The Debenhams Foundation is Debenhams’ own charity that was set up in 2012. Since its launch the Foundation has raised over £2m for good causes.