THOUGHT

52 CHARITY
CHARITY
53
First for store is set to be an annual event
The first Charity Christmas Market to be
held at a county furniture store was hailed
as a success – and will become an annual
event.
The two-day event hosted solely for
charitable organisations was held at Alan
Ward in Shrewsbury.
A total of 20 charities set up their stands
Help given
to our rural
communities
and sold their Christmas gifts and cards or
offered an activity for the children during
the event, whilst performers entertained
shoppers.
Store manager Andrea Cutler said: “The
atmosphere at our first Charity Christmas
Market was excellent – the children who
gave up their time to sing or perform
throughout the weekend were exceptional.
“The charities all seemed to enjoy the
event and we hope it helped boost their
funds this year.
“We hope this is the start of a
programme of events to be held in the
space and we will be welcoming the
charities back to give us their feedback.”
Donating to worthy causes
Generous staff at a Shropshire
insurance brokers gave an early
Christmas present to a whole host of
charities thanks to their fund-raising
efforts.
The team from Henshalls in
Newport and Shrewsbury have
raised £1,000 in the last 12 months
from a wide range of activities. And
now, they have shared their charity
totals between several local and
national causes.
Elsa Mackay, who co-ordinates
the company’s fund raising initiatives,
said: “The charities were chosen as
many of us have been supported
by the organisations themselves, or
we’re connected to them in some
way, or they are causes that we all
just feel very strongly about.
“It’s great to have been able to
split the amount we’ve raised and
donate equally to each of our chosen
recipients.”
Each month Henshalls staff
donate money from their salary
through their staff tote scheme,
and those payments have gone
to: Midlands Air Ambulance, Cuan
Wildlife Centre, Diabetes UK, and
JDRF charity.
“We’ve also raised additional
cash by organising events including
dress down days and cake sales,
and those donations have gone to:
The Harry Johnson Trust, Newport
Food Bank, Hilbrae Rescue
Kennels, Severn Hospice, Rotary
Club of Newport to help Newport
First Responders, Guide Dogs for
the Blind, and the Hillside Animal
Sanctuary.
“And it’s not just the money
we’ve raised – we’ve also donated
unwanted blankets, quilts and towels
to Hilbrae Rescue Kennels to support
the dogs while they wait to be
rehomed,” said Elsa.
Nina Evans and Elsa Mackay from Henshalls
pictured with some of the charity donations
The Rural Charity is a new arm of
the Shropshire and West Midlands
Agricultural Society
There’s a new name on Shropshire’s
high streets after a county-based charity
opened its first ever set of shops.
The Rural Charity is a new arm
of the Shropshire and West Midlands
Agricultural Society, and has opened
furniture and household shops in
Shrewsbury, Wem and Oswestry.
The shops were formerly operated by
Relate and closed when the Shropshire
branch of the charity ran into difficulty in
October.
But they are now open again under
the new banner of The Rural Charity,
selling second-hand furniture and other
items, with all profits going to help farming
and the rural community of Shropshire.
Society director, Ian Bebbington, said:
“We have had a fantastic start.
“The shops were already wellestablished
and we have kept the majority
of staff and volunteers to help with the
continuity.
“The society has never done anything
like this before so it has been a steep
learning curve for us, but it’s going really
well so far.
“The aim of the shops is to provide
extra income so we can do more work to
support the rural community in Shropshire
– which is exactly what the society was
established to do in 1875.
“We want to be able to make
donations to people who need retraining
or financial support, as well as being able
to help the society’s supported schemes
such as the Royal Agricultural Benevolent
Institution and the National Young
Farmer’s organisation.”
Cindy Wilday from Go Carz is pleased to assist Telford Juniors Disabled Academy
Assistance
for minibus
A
Shropshire taxi firm
has stepped in to
support a junior
disabled football academy –
meaning the group can now
take to the road in a new
minibus.
Telford Juniors Disabled Academy set
about fundraising for the new vehicle after
targeting the need of a minibus to get them
to away games and tournaments.
The group was set up about four years
ago and claims to be the biggest of its
kind in operation. But large transport costs
needed every time they needed to travel, it
was decided that it was necessary to have
their own vehicle.
Shropshire’s largest private hire firm, Go
Carz, was contacted by the club and agreed
to help sponsor the project with a donation
of £250.
Cindy Wilday, the firm’s area director,
said: “Telford Juniors Disabled Academy do
an amazing job. They have grown over the
last four years and are no longer restricted
to helping disabled people, they have now
extended that to include people from underprivileged
backgrounds.
“They have been raising funds to buy a
minibus and then they needed to insure and
tax it, so it was quite a fundraising exercise
for them.”
Carol service raises
£500 for local hospice
A
carol service organised
by a Shropshire law
firm raised £500 for
Severn Hospice.
Around 150 clients, representatives from
local businesses and other organisations
joined staff from FBC Manby Bowdler at
its annual service in Shrewsbury School’s
chapel.
The congregation at the FBC Manby Bowdler carol service held at Shrewsbury School’s chapel
FBC Manby Bowdler organises the event
every year to mark the start of the festive
season and support a local charity.
The firm’s staff choir played a starring
role, leading the singing during the service.
The 20-strong choir is made up of partners,
solicitors, paralegals and administrative and
support staff and meets regularly.
Senior partner Niall Blackie said: “We
were delighted to have so many clients, staff
and their families joining us for this festive
occasion.
“The carol service is one of the highlights
in the FBC Manby Bowdler calendar and
marks the end of a very successful year for
the firm.
“We would like to thank everyone for
their support of Severn Hospice, which does
such great work supporting young people
with life limiting illnesses and their families.”