A team from Bellway has volunteered at the Cash for Kids Mission Christmas warehouse to help provide presents for disadvantaged children across the North East.
A team of six volunteers from the housebuilder’s national headquarters in Woolsington and its North East divisional offices in Gateshead spent the day sorting gifts and receiving deliveries at the charity’s base in Washington.
This is the third year running that Bellway has supported the charity. Gift collection points are also now open at 12 Bellway developments across the North East region and the division is also sponsoring the Laffs4Kids fundraising comedy night at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle on Sunday 15 December. Audience members are asked to bring along a gift to the event and drop it off with the Cash for Kids team.
Cash for Kids works year-round to support disadvantaged children and young people and aims to help combat poverty, illness and neglect as well offering support for those living with additional needs. At this time of year its Mission Christmas initiative aims to make sure that children living in poverty wake up to a present on Christmas day. It is the largest Christmas gift appeal in the UK.
“It was great to have a visit from the Bellway team at Mission Christmas HQ! With over 40,000 children to help, the appeal is a massive team effort and we couldn’t do it without the support of volunteers. A few hours in our warehouse sorting and distributing gifts really does make a difference so thank you from Cash for Kids”.
Dan Slee, Charity Manager for Cash for Kids North East
During the volunteering day, Bellway staff Kaysha O’Neill, Ivo Vasilev, Ben Allinson, Emma Dickinson, Gemma Hopkins and Sharon McCready got involved in a range of tasks. They took in deliveries, sorted gifts by age and gender, packed gifts and loaded them up for collection.
Last year more than 41,000 youngsters in the North East region received a gift thanks to Mission Christmas.
“Our team enjoyed being part of Mission Christmas and they were very happy to be able to contribute to its amazing work.
“For many families it is simply not possible to provide a present for their children on Christmas morning and the work Cash for Kids does with its Mission Christmas campaign makes an incredible difference to those families. It’s not just about a child receiving a toy to unwrap, it’s about those children knowing that however hard things are, Santa has not forgotten them.
“Cash for Kids is taking in donations until a week before Christmas and I understand they could do with some more presents suitable for older boys and for babies. I’d encourage anyone who can afford to, to support Mission Christmas if they can. It’s making a real difference.”
Emma Chesterton, Sales Director for Bellway North East
Mission Christmas is asking for new and unwrapped gifts to be donated at drop-off points between now and Wednesday 18 December. You can find your nearest drop-off point by visiting https://cashforkids.org.uk/mission, clicking on Drop-off Points and putting in your postcode. To donate money, visit https://cashforkids.org.uk/donate.
Bellway North East is building new homes across Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland. For details, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/north-east.
