Braintree Village has revealed that it donated £5,000 to local charities in 2019 and helped 600 vulnerable people through the festive period with support from the local community.
In celebration of its 20th birthday, the Village pledged to support 20 local community groups, organisations and charities through its ’20 Random Acts of Kindness’ initiative. A funding pot of £5,000 was shared across charities which were nominated by the local community, including Action for Family Carers, Bendlowe’s Trust and Hope House in Braintree.
This support continued into the festive season, which saw Braintree Village provide vital winter supplies and Christmas gifts to vulnerable people across Essex. The return of Braintree Village’s Community Giving Tree – in partnership with its nominated charity First Stop Centre in Braintree – enabled shoppers to buy a gift for someone locally less fortunate. Over an incredible 500 presents were donated by visitors to Braintree Village, spreading some festive cheer to many people across the community just in time for Christmas Day.
The Village also worked alongside Essex County Council to provide 100 winter wellness packages, which included essential items including scarves, food packages and torches to support vulnerable people across the county during the colder months.
Josef O’Sullivan, Centre Manager at Braintree Village, said: “With a huge amount of support from our customers, colleagues and brands, we were able to give something back to the local community throughout our 20th year. We are passionate about championing local charities, groups and projects that work to improve our town and support individuals within our community and look forward to supporting even more in 2020.”
Some of the other 20 charities and organisations that Braintree Village supported include:
- The Empire Theatre in Halstead, which received sponsored support to supply the local community with Dementia Friendly Cinema screenings, along with free tea, coffee and cakes. This offered careers and patients a place to rest and enjoy the latest blockbusters in a relaxing and calming environment.
- The Braintree District Mencap Society offers support to over 800 children and adults in the Braintree community with learning disabilities. Braintree Village donated £150 along with a £100 gift card which was used to purchase supplies.
- Braintree Village donated a £250 gift card to Hope House – a Braintree based charity committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness – to buy new homeware items for the newly acquired premises which allowed four homeless people to move into a new shared home.
- Mila’s Journey, a local crowdfunding initiative, received a donation of £250 towards physiotherapy sessions to help toddler Mila, who suffers from Bilateral Dystonic Cerebral Palsy.
- Braintree Rethink Art & Social Group, a self-help group in the Braintree area which helps members of the local community who are coping with a mental illness. The group received transportation support from Braintree Village, in partnership with Arriva, to make a trip to Colchester Zoo for the members.
- £250 donation to the Secret Hamper, NHS70 campaign. The donation, split between 4 hospitals across the Essex region, supports the team at Secret Hamper’s pledge to recognise NHS workers and reward with hampers packed full of locally sourced produce.
For more information, please visit: braintree-village.com