(2 November 2014, Hong Kong) New World Department Store China Limited (“NWDS” or the “Company”; Hong Kong stock code: 825), one of the largest owners and operators of department stores in Mainland China, adheres to the spirit of “giving back to society” and firstly title-sponsors the “NWDS Sowers Action Challenging 12 Hours Charity Marathon 2014”, which has concluded successfully today. Entering its 16th year, the marathon has recruited over 2,220 runners to challenge the Wilson Trail and the MacLehose Trail, and raised a record-breaking HKD2.7 million for under-resourced high school students in Mainland China. NWDS supports the marathon in the form of running in the marathon, rendering voluntary services, and making a donation of HKD0.45 million in total. 

The starting ceremony of the 42km marathon was hosted by officiating guests including Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration of HKSAR, and Mr. Philip Cheung, Managing Director and Executive Director, and Mr. Au Tak Cheong, Non-executive Director of NWDS at Sam Ka Tsuen, Yau Tong this morning. Thousands of marathon runners enthusiastically waited for the starting pistol to be fired by Chief Secretary Carrie Lam at the starting point, making a significant scene. NWDS has always encouraged its employees to actively participate in community activities. Mr. Philip Cheung, the Company’s Managing Director, set a good example in action by leading staff to join the 12km marathon. With the determination to help the underprivileged and the strong team spirit to support each other, NWDS corporate team runners managed to tackle all difficulties along the tortuous path between mountains, deeply experiencing the persistent learning spirit of students in mountainous regions. 

Apart from running, some employees chose to support the marathon by rendering voluntary services such as taking photos and supplying materials at the finishing point. Among the NWDS volunteers, there were three stars from Wuhan, Dalian and Ningbo stores, who are the Company’s most outstanding volunteers elected across the country last year and especially made the trip to Hong Kong, to interact with Hong Kong volunteer team and to demonstrate the Hong Kong-China joint charity effort. To recreate the excitement of the marathon for Mainland customers who cannot take part in the marathon, a nationwide “Half-Hour Parent-Child Sowers Action Hunt Challenge” was organized today and recruited up to 800 family teams whom were required to search for and accomplish various challenges inside NWDS stores within a specific period of time. Most participants enjoyed a lot of excitement from the challenge. 

Founded in 2000 by Sowers Action, “Sowers Action Challenging 12 Hours Charity Marathon” aims at raising tuition fees for under-resourced high school students in Mainland China to help them finish their studies, and has become one of the largest walkathons in Hong Kong. The funds raised will be fully used in Sowers Action’s “High School Students Subsidy Scheme”. A through-the-years subsidy arrangement is adopted, which means a total of RMB3,000 will be offered to students in need in three consecutive yearly payment, each time of RMB1,000 until graduation, in order to ensure that students can successfully complete their high school curriculum. The marathon comprises of three categories, including Run for Challenge (42km), Run for Sowers (26km) and Run for Education (12km). Runners have to complete designated sections of the Wilson Trail and the MacLehose Trail within 12 hours to imitate the hardship, walking one to two hours to school every day, endured by students in China’s rural mountainous regions to experience their persistence in pursuing studies. 

Mr. Philip Cheung, Managing Director and Executive Director of NWDS, said, “Adhering to the spirit of ‘giving back to society’, we attempt to help more under-resourced students in Mainland China through sponsoring this marathon. Special thanks to all employees’ enormous supports and devotions on the aspects of fund raising, participating and volunteering in the marathon. During the course of the competition, the team supported each other along the journey to overcome all difficulties and fully demonstrated the caring team spirit, which we believe is a priceless experience for our staff. On the other hand, staff who served as volunteers at the finishing point also did their best to provide appropriate care to the marathon runners. We are very delighted that the amount of funds raised this year keeps on hitting its record high. Looking forward, we hope that everyone can continue to support the charity events organized by Sowers Action, to concert the efforts for charity and to give back to the community.”

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