Wales & West Utilities is hoping to deliver sacks of smiles this Christmas, as it plays secret Santa to families assisted through Cardiff City Council’s social services department.
The team, who all work in the business services department at the gas distribution network’s headquarters in Celtic Springs in Newport, have collected and delivered the gifts to Cardiff City Council in a bid to spread some festive cheer. The social services team will be working with and passing the gifts to its fifteen supported children in readiness for Christmas Day.
Wales & West Utilities Business Project Analyst Rachel Griffiths said:
“This is the second year that we’ve supported the Council’s appeal and we are delighted to, once again, play a small part.
“Christmas can be a particularly hard time of year for many people locally and we wanted to do something to help bring a smile to the faces of children supported through the Council’s unit.
“Our team worked hard to collect relevant gifts for all children and knowing that smiles will appear on their faces on Christmas day is priceless.”
The children supported through the present appeal are from families that may have been re-sited or are under family supervision and unfortunately would be unlikely to have any presents for Christmas this year.
The support to the Christmas present appeal is part of Wales & West Utilities commitment to giving something back to the community’s it works in.
Marisa Moon, Team Manager at Cardiff City Council, said:
“We are thrilled that Wales & West Utilities have supported our appeal once again. They have been fantastic in supporting us with our plans for Christmas, we are hugely appreciative of their generosity not only with donations of toys and goods but also of their time and dedication to our service.
“The children and families we serve have experienced child abuse and neglect. For these families, Christmas comes with dread as the children do not understand that their parents cannot provide presents for them and they do not have the same experiences as their peers at school.
“The thought and care in the present selection provided by the generous staff at Wales & West Utilities has been greatly appreciated by the parents of the children. It is a privilege for us to deliver these presents, which decreases the stress parents are experiencing as they struggle to afford anything other than food, shelter and clothing. This pressure creates strain in families and, when eliminated, parents are able to focus on spending time and creating memories with their children rather than suffering from anxiety or guilt on not being able to provide what the children’s friends experience.
“Our team serves approximately 200 children at any given time; we are hoping to expand our partnership with Wales & West Utilities to continue to brighten families holiday season for years to come.”
Wales & West Utilities provides the gas emergency service across Wales and the south west of England. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.
The company is also carrying out multi-million-pound 30-year mains replacement programme, across Wales and the south west of England, which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being replaced with new long-lasting plastic pipes with a lifespan of more than 80 years.