Gifts And Charity Support From Housebuilders In Run-Up To Christmas

In the run-up to Christmas, the nation’s housebuilders have been generous with donations and fund-raising to a whole range of charities and organisations.

The Hill Group, recently named WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year and the lead sponsor of The London New Home Show in January 2024, handed out some prizes for the winners of a competition at Newport Primary School in Essex. Pupils competed to design a giant snow globe to enthral partygoers at their school disco earlier this month. Jacon in Year 3 won first prize of a £25 gift voucher while Phoebe in Year 2 and Lily in Year 5 were also awarded vouchers of £10 each as runners-up prizes. Rebecca Littler, group sales and marketing director at The Hill Group, commented: “The children’s enthusiasm and creativity have been inspiring, and we would like to thank them all for their beautiful designs and for letting us be a part of their festive activities this winter.”

Edinburgh’s Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) has been boosted at a crucial time following an £8,000 donation from developer Square & Crescent. An 11-strong team from the company completed the capital’s gruelling Seven Hills of Edinburgh challenge to raise the money, which will support the charity’s active Hospital Hub, located within the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. Euan Marshall, co-founder and joint managing director of Square & Crescent, said: “It brings us a lot of pride to give back in any small way we can and to be able to support the vital work they are doing for young people in Edinburgh and the Lothians.” Find out more.

Local children’s charity, Team Evie, received over £29,000 from Barratt Developments North East, following a series of fundraising initiatives completed by the housebuilder’s employees. Set up by Evie’s parents, Team Evie is Barratt Developments North East’s Charity of the Year from 2022 – 2023 and is dedicated to helping sick children and their families across the North East and Cumbria in the form of support as well as medical equipment, physiotherapy equipment, comfort items, sensory toys and portable libraries to the hospital wards. Carl Sobolewski, MD of Barratt Developments North East, said: “Making a difference to the areas in which we build is a hugely important part of work when developing and supporting communities, and we’re so pleased to have been able to support such an incredible charity that touches the lives of so many people.” Find out more.

Hundreds of housebuilding employees across the West Midlands have replaced their site clothing for Christmas attire in the name of charity, with staff at each of Miller Homes’ developments in Warwickshire, Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire temporarily swapped their hard hats and hi-vis jackets for their most festive jumper to celebrate national Christmas Jumper Day as part of their fundraising efforts for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Through such events over the year, the housebuilder’s charity of the year received more than £6,000. Darren Humphreys, managing director of Miller Homes West Midlands, said: “We had a great time raising money for the hospital which was our main goal, and we look forward to handing over our donations to the team at Birmingham Children’s Hospital in aid of all the remarkable work they do to support young people from all over the country.” Find out more.

Newly-formed walking netball team Harbury Hornets has won one of four £250 grants from local housebuilder Bloor Homes, with the money going towards new bibs for the ladies. The team was founded in June and started with just eight players, but today the club is 20-strong and recently themselves raised over £2,000 at a charity tournament for MCADD. Michele Rose, sales and marketing director for Bloor Homes’ Midlands region, said: “We chose to support Harbury Hornets because it’s clear that the club is a safe space for local people, encouraging anyone regardless of ability or background to get involved. We were also really moved to hear about the charity tournament that the club held, and wanted to boost the team in any way that we could.”

Cruden Group and Trussell Trust

The staff, contacts and friends of the Cruden Group have come together to gather much-needed donations for local communities in Scotland and in partnership with UK charity, The Trussell Trust, a total of 8,000 food and household items were collected and distributed to six food banks across Airdrie, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Gorebridge and Glasgow. Cruden’s winter appeal has also raised a cash donation of almost £11,000 for The Trussell Trust. £5000 of the total amount raised has been donated by Cruden’s linked charitable trust, The Cruden Foundation. Colin Kennedy, construction director of Cruden, said: “The solidarity of our staff and valued contacts, and their dedication to helping others, never ceases to amaze me. We’ve achieved our best results yet and I hope our donations help bring a smile to many local faces this year.” Find out more.

Dandara has donated 130 Santa Stop Here signs to local school Ysgol Gymraeg Gwenllian to help Father Christmas and his reindeers navigate the journey from North Pole to their homes. Each pupil was invited to add sparkle and colour to the wooden signs which can be hung on front doors on Christmas Eve to make it easier for Rudolph to locate each home. Martin Smith, managing director for Dandara Wales & West, said: “We are pleased to spread some Christmas cheer with Ysgol Grmraeg Gwenllian and we hope the children had a lot of fun making their signs which I am sure will guarantee them a place on the ‘nice’ list this Christmas.”

Staff at MORRO Partnerships have helped out at the Birmingham Toylink appeal as part of its commitment to being better community makers and giving back to the areas it provides homes in. Organised by Birmingham City Mission, the Christmas Toylink helps to distribute gifts to thousands of children in the West Midlands whose families are struggling to make ends meet. The Toylink appeal relies on the generosity and compassion for those who are less fortunate, with staff from MORRO's office in Cannock giving up their time to help those in need. Chris Timmins, MD at MORRO said: “It's fantastic for us to have been a part of such a worthy cause which will make a real difference to many within the community. We pledge to become better community makers and to put a smile on the face of children in the region who are less fortunate is incredibly enriching and rewarding.” Find out more.

Marr Rugby is celebrating after scoring a £1,000 donation from Persimmon West Scotland. The community club has three senior teams and a youth section covering Minis Rugby from P1 to P7 and Youth Rugby covering all secondary school ages. In total, the club has over 600 people involved in the sport. Volunteers at the club are currently fundraising to send their primary seven squad on a special trip to England, having been invited by Premiership side Exeter Chiefs to take part in a local club rugby tournament. Coaches at the club are aiming to raise as much money as possible to take the funding pressure off parents and support as many members of the team as possible to take part in the trip. Chris Logan, MD of Persimmon West Scotland, said: “Marr Rugby is a fantastic community club that provides a platform for people of all ages to take part in the sport and I’m delighted we can support their fundraising efforts with this donation.”