Travis Perkins has once again teamed up with Northampton Saints to collect hundreds of toy donations, supporting struggling Northamptonshire families and young people in care this Christmas.
The seasonal partnership between the builders’ merchant and the Premiership Rugby side is now in its tenth year. The annual collection aims to support young people in care and families in need, and has seen supporters, customers and colleagues spending up to £10 on a new toy, gift or hamper product and put them in a festive Christmas bag.
Toy donations were made in the lead up to Saints’ recent game against Harlequins and in total, 12 Travis Perkins bulk bags were filled with toys which have been sent on to charities including Northampton Children’s Trust and Northampton Hospital.
Since the campaign first launched in 2013, thousands of young people have benefited from the generous support from Travis Perkins’ colleagues and Northampton Saints supporters. The rugby club and builders’ merchant estimate the initiative has made thousands of donations since the collection began.
And due to its success of this initiative over the last decade, Travis Perkins branches across the UK have replicated the scheme to participate in their own toy collections to raise money for their chosen charities.
Travis Perkins’ MD James MacKenzie said: “It’s no doubt that the cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on everyone and, for many, Christmas can be a very difficult time. With this community initiative, we always hope to brighten the festive season for thousands of young people in care and families in need across Northamptonshire. So we can’t thank everyone who donated enough, you’ve all played a part in helping make this great community initiative a success and Christmas a little more cheerful for young people and families in need this year.”
Ulundi Makhanya, Commercial Partnerships Director at Northampton Saints, added: “We’re delighted to have teamed up with Travis Perkins again for the Big Toy and Hamper Collection, in what has been an amazing ten years of delivering this partnership together. This time of year can be particularly challenging for families and young people and that’s why initiatives like these are hugely important.
“Every year, I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity of all the supporters and the hundreds of people who bring along their donations; we couldn’t do this without you all!”
