Christmas Presents for under privileged local children
Our CEO of Swarm Training, Jennifer Perry, has been gathering donations for a cause very close to her heart to support under privileged children in her local primary school to have the kind of Christmas that so many of us are lucky enough to have. She is aware that many go without even one present and she started this fundraising campaign.
She raised £105 for the school to use towards their appeal to gift a present to each of these children who would have nothing to open on Christmas Day or who had had a really challenging year and just needed to feel noticed and that people care.
The Principal of the school, Naomi Palmer, wrote this lovely piece to explain what they do in this initiative and how they have used the money raised…
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"The Christmas Shop started around 6 years ago with the simple idea that we could 'recycle' unwanted gifts from our homes to children who would make good use of them. Back then we only had around 15 items which we had brought in from our Christmas haul - toiletries to which we had allergies (but were too polite to mention) and sugary treats (which are always subject to a ban in January). We decided the children would need to understand the value of hard work bringing rewards and benefits, so we used our in-house 'visa point' system to help them 'pay'.
In the second year, we aimed higher - started asking earlier for staff to bring in items they didn't need - teddy bears which had been long since rejected, but could be loved again - and we started to gather quite a selection. Year on year, we have gradually built our 'shop' into something to be proud of. We write to local businesses to ask for any donations from the office, or items from home. Preloved toys which could bring much joy to younger siblings. In 2024, we now have a large 'cupboard' which is a permanent shop - in winter for Christmas and in summer for donated prom dresses, suits and accessories: every child deserved to be able to give gifts to their families for Christmas without feeling too 'poor' and every child deserves to be able to attend their prom and feel like a princess (or a prince) - this is one of the tangible ways we try to bring genuine equity to our community - and we don't promote it via our social media as every child should have their dignity intact and not feel that they are a 'victim' of charity. Our students who receive free school meals or who have challenges at home are prioritised for longer, more personalised slots in the shop.
The next step was logical: we needed to do more for our children who have experienced the most extreme challenges through the year, so we started to fundraise to help those who needed to sense there was hope and positivity in the world. We had a plethora of children who were experiencing severe financial difficulties, had experienced a bereavement or whose home life was not secure. We asked everyone we could think of if they were able to donate a little towards giving each child a 'Bag of Joy' - a bag of festive items to the value of around £10 - testament to our care and that we would still be there after Christmas - a statement of love.
Thanks to your support, we have been able to give almost 90 bags to children who have had a challenging 2024 - you have helped to change lives and show young people that there are adults who care and who see their barriers and will support them in overcoming them.
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Thank you to everyone who donated!
