Morrisons Foundation launches £1million Community Spaces Fund in supermarket's 125th year

• Morrisons celebrates turning 125 years with a month of new products, offers and rewards for customers

• Morrisons Foundation will distribute £1m to 125 charities in England, Scotland and Wales chosen by colleagues

Morrisons is celebrating 125 years since its founder, William Morrison, first started the business with a month-long campaign that includes a new TV ad, £1 million being distributed to 125 charities and loyalty rewards for customers in store and online.

A new ad launched to celebrate the milestone anniversary will air on Monday 17th June. It will spark feelings of nostalgia in viewers as it is centred around an interaction between Morrisons colleagues and customers and is played out over the last 125 years. It shows that while a lot has changed in customers' lives since 1899, their passion for Morrisons great quality fresh food has remained.

Morrisons first opened in 1899 as a market stall selling butter and eggs in Rawson Market, Bradford and this is where the new ad begins before jumping through time to capture the fashion, hairstyle and food choice trends of each era.

Rami Baitiéh, Morrisons CEO, said: “For 125 years, since William Morrisons founded our company, customers have been enjoying our great quality British food. A lot has evolved during that time and we have gone from a single market stall to having our famous Market Street counters with skilled colleagues such as our butchers, fishmongers, and bakers in our stores nationwide. One thing that has remained constant throughout is our commitment to offering great tasting affordable food for everyone. We look forward to celebrating this milestone moment, and the legacy of William Morrisons and Sir Ken, with our customers over the coming weeks.”

Community spirit has continued to be at the heart of the Morrisons business and today, the Morrisons Foundation has launched a new million-pound charitable fund that will enhance community spaces across the UK by distributing grants between 125 charities chosen by colleagues.

Improvements will be carried out at any place or space used by members of the community like a village hall, school library, scout hut or community garden.

Community Champions, who already work closely within their local area, will nominate their chosen local charity to receive the grants, before a panel of Morrisons colleagues vote to select the 125 winning nominations. The winning charities will be announced in August this year.

Other anniversary celebrations taking place during the coming month will reward customers in store and online. For example, the biggest ever Morrisons More Card ‘Basket Bonus’ gets underway from Wednesday 19th June and will run until Sunday 14th July.

The ‘Basket Bonus’ will give loyalty customers the chance to win points, earn bigger rewards and even have the chance to become a More Points Millionaire.

Customers can simply scan their Morrisons More Card or app in store or online, to see if they are in with a chance of a ‘Basket Bonus’. This will include anything from free products to up to 5,000 extra More Points being added to their More Card account. In addition, ten lucky customers will also become a Morrisons More Points Millionaire each week, meaning they will claim a whopping £1,000 bonus to spend in store or online just by scanning their card.