Race is on to provide Christmas gifts for vulnerable children

Welsh businesses asked to dig deep for charity 

Business in the Community and Action for Children are calling on businesses and their employees to chip in to a present fund for children who will not receive a gift from Santa this year.

The campaign, now running for more than 10 years, is aiming to provide gifts for more than 2,500 children in 2011, but with only weeks to go until Christmas, a final push is needed to reach the gift target.

Just one gift can make a huge difference to the families who are most in need of support and will help bring some magic to a child’s Christmas. We’re extremely grateful to Business in the Community for supporting us with this campaign, which is a shining example of how businesses can come together to make a real difference to those who need it.

Wales Director for Business in the Community, Simon Harris, said that the first deliveries of Christmas presents will be dispatched this week but that as many as 500 children from Newport, Bridgend, Port Talbot, Barry, Swansea and Llanelli still need to be allocated with a gift.

 “The response from around Wales so far has been overwhelming with employees digging deep and working really hard to fundraise so these special children can have some joy this Christmas.  There are teams baking cakes, there are companies donating products to raffle as prizes to raise funds, there are whole offices who are chipping in £10 each – there is a fantastic amount of work being done behind the scenes to get these presents in time for Christmas. 

“But we still have a few children’s projects that need assistance and the thought of letting these children down is just unacceptable.  Whether you have 5 staff or 500, there is something we can all do as businesses to help. It’s going to be a tough Christmas for so many families and this is such a simple way to give something back.”

Business in the Community’s Christmas campaign has this year joined forces with Timto, the social enterprise that specialises in children’s birthday party gifts, meaning that instead of physically purchasing a gift, participants can now select a present or donate online.

“Thanks to Timto, we’ve made it easier than ever to get involved. It’s just a few simple clicks and your company is registered and then it is up to colleagues to choose the gifts they would like to buy.”

For more information about getting involved in Business in the Community’s 2011 Christmas Appeal, contact Hannah McGillivray on 07739 899 472 or visit www.bitc.org.uk/wales

Supporters include Cardiff Airport, Good Relations, Welsh Water, Zurich, the AA, KPMG, PwC, BBC Cymru Wales, Williams Medical Suppliers, Blackhorse Finance, ING Direct, Castle Leisure and a number of public sector organisations including the UK Intellectual Property Office, HMRC, Companies House, National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government.