Barrhead Housing (BH) and its partners have been busy bringing festive cheer to residents this month.
BH and CX-Feedback, who provide their online customer engagement tool, sorted and packed 600 Christmas bags to put smiles on their customers’ faces.
Over three days, with the help of MCN Limited, who transported all of the food, they distributed the packs at multiple community centres and bag collection points.
They also delivered the items to sheltered schemes and went door-to-door around some of their homes.
Lorna Wilson, BH chief executive, said: “Times are extremely hard for a lot of people at the moment, and with extra pressures at this time of year, we wanted to do everything we could to help spread some Christmas cheer.
“Thank you to our fantastic partners who worked alongside the team to show our customers and communities how much we care.
“On behalf of the team and board I’d like to wish all of our customers a merry Christmas and all the very best for 2024.”
BH, which is a provider of social rented housing in East Renfrewshire, also worked with two of their contractors to further support their communities this winter.
MCN Limited who are delivering their kitchen replacement contract, have donated £1,000 to Nelly Boxes’ (NB) Christmas gift appeal to ensure children in East Renfrewshire do not go without a Christmas present this year.
Nelly Boxes, a baby bank which provides baby equipment and clothes, is based at The ARC (Auchenback Resource Centre) and opens every Wednesday between 11.30am and 1pm.
Last year Nelly Boxes provided 138 young people with a Christmas present after the recipients, mostly from Barrhead, had been referred by health visitors.
This year they are aiming to repeat last year’s success through their Christmas appeal.
Nicola McGowan from the baby bank said “We don’t quite know what to say. It’s unbelievably generous.
“We’re hugely appreciative of it, and it’s going to go a long way in making a good few children’s Christmases. We can’t thank you all enough.”
Donna Rodgers from MCN added: “MCN are delighted to help the Barrhead community and we feel that Nelly Boxes is a very worthwhile project which we are keen to support.
“Good Luck to Nicola and thank you for all your hard work in the Christmas gift appeal.”
Secondly, BH’s heating contractor, James Frew donated 800 selection boxes which the team distributed with the food bags and donated to Incahootz Drama Group, Dunterlie Food Share, Auchenback Active and Carlibar Campus Parent Council for youngsters and to community groups that BH works closely with.
The selection boxes were also given out as gifts at BH’s annual Christmas Party for their customers’ families.
The event, which featured arts and crafts, party games and food aplenty, also played host to a visit from Santa Claus himself, who got to meet all of the families and distribute some toys and gifts to the children in attendance.
Bryan Dando, BH’s community investment manager, said: “It’s been a monumental effort from partners and Barrhead staff coming together to be able to provide all this support and activity for our customers.
“I think some of the staff both internal and external could empathise with the elves at the North Pole at this time of year”
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