RUGELEY community hub has received a generous donation of £1,000 to provide Christmas gifts to those struggling financially this year thanks to national housebuilder, Lovell.
Each year, Victory Church in Rugeley runs a Week of Wonder from its community hub that allows families to privately visit the space, which has been decorated like a festive toy shop, to select gifts for their loved ones; completely free. Appointments are on a referral basis from schools, social workers and other avenues and last year more than 3,000 gifts were chosen by families and wrapped up by the team of volunteer ‘elves’.
Samuel Smith, assistant minister of the church, said: “Lots of people have fallen on hard times in recent years, and we’ve seen an increase in working families unable to afford gifts at Christmas due to the cost of living. Our Week of Wonder is to welcome people with dignity, so they don’t have to choose between food on the table and gifts under the tree.
“We support people from a range of backgrounds, including those who have experienced recent bereavements, fleeing domestic violence, and from within the care system. The donation from the Lovell team has ensured that we can replenish the gifts throughout the week to support the growing need.”
When visiting the hub, as well as selecting gifts for loved ones, families also have space to sit with trained volunteers who offer a hot drink, a listening ear and can sign post them to further support like mental health services. Alongside the donation, Lovell, who is developing 58 new homes on a derelict site nearby, also volunteered to wrap presents this week and provided activity packs for the children visiting.
Lisa Preston, regional sales director at Lovell, said: “As part of our work building homes, we’re also building communities and it’s essential we support the local area as much as possible. When we heard about the Week of Wonder, we knew we had to offer our support and it’s been incredibly moving to be part of such an incredible initiative. What the volunteers do at the hub is a huge operation and makes such a difference to the lives of the people that use it.
“We look forward to working closely with Victory Church and the wider community as we progress with our development, providing much needed housing in the area.”
The Week of Wonder is from 9 – 13 December, but the hub will continue to support people in need right up to Christmas with the initiative.
