Festive fundraising intake split among local charities
A total of £6,000 raised at The Belfy Shopping Centre, Redhill, over the festive period has been shared out among a number of local charities.
A record numbers of people visited the Belfry Shopping Centre’s free Santa’s Grotto, and also attended other free events at the Centre over the festive season during which they were invited to make charity donations.
A 15 per cent rise in the number of visitors to Santa’s Grotto saw £3,000 raised for The Children’s Trust, the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury, after people made a donation before meeting Father Christmas in the Grotto.
A further £3,000 was raised at events including Christmas Jumper Day, carol singing and charity gift- wrapping weekends. The charities receiving this welcome windfall include Stripey Stork, which collects donated items for children with families experiencing hardship, Shopmobility, George’s Giant Pledge which fundraises for children with cancer, St Peter’s House Project and Voluntary Action Reigate & Banstead (VARB).
And cash donations and more than a dozen trolleys full of food and goods were also collected by Renewed Hope Trust’s Winter Night Shelter for homeless people.
Centre Manager, Andy Nash, said, “A visit to Santa is a magical experience for children at Christmas but we know how the trip can be a financial worry for families over the festive season. It’s important to us that we keep our Grotto free to visit so that as many children as possible get to meet Santa, and receive a free gift as well.”
