Our Chosen Christmas Charity 2022
At the end of every year we ask our head office staff to nominate a charity that they would like to support. As always, we were inundated with incredibly worthy causes, but below you will read about our chosen charity for Christmas 2022.
First Days is a charity very local to us in Wokingham, Berkshire. It all began back in 2013 when the CEO and Founder, Emma Cantrell, noticed a need and wanted to meet it. Put simply: 'there were people with stuff they didn't need and people who desperately needed it'.
There are currently 4.3 million children living in poverty in the UK (43,000 in Berkshire alone), a number that is sadly on the rise. First Days reduces the long term effect of poverty on children by equipping them with the essential items they need for their early years and at school.
How is First Days Supporting Families this Christmas?
Christmas is a time when every parent wants to give their child a Christmas to remember. For many families, especially this year, this is just not their reality. First Days is helping families in the following ways:
- Working alongside Wokingham Council and other local charities (Foodbank, Share Wokingham) to give identified families the opportunity to choose some gifts for their children and items for a food hamper;
- Offering local residents a comfortable and inviting space to 'keep warm, have a hot drink and access other services whilst charging devices and even doing some washing of clothes'.
So far, First Days has supported over 600 children with presents, all chosen for them by their parents/carers. They believe that all parents deserve the dignity and choice of this experience, so they can make Christmas magical for their children.
Ongoing Support for Families
First Days works tirelessly all year round with the aim of relieving the stresses and strains that poverty brings to families. Their work is only likely to increase during the current cost of living crisis.
Throughout the rest of the year they 'offer peer support and one to one coaching to parents, whilst providing everyday essentials for children who need them. We distribute school uniforms, new baby essentials, beds and bedding, travel equipment, toiletries, safety items, furniture, toys and books and much more'.
Head to the First Days website if you'd like to find out more about what they do or make a donation.
As a local business, we are pleased to be supporting the work of this charity. We hope that it goes a small way towards helping ease the strain that local families are currently facing.
