Children’s charity gets boost ahead of Christmas

Bristol Children’s Charity has received a £5,000 donation from a local housing developer ahead of the festive season.

The cheque was presented by Persimmon Homes Severn Valley to charity President Jan Reynolds and trustee Tracy Hook at the Beaufort Park site in Cribbs Causeway.

The Charity was born to help disadvantaged children in the city, their first venture being to collect toys at Christmas for half a dozen local children’s homes when founded in the 1970s. It is entirely volunteer-led and hosts an annual Christmas lunch fundraiser, which Persimmon attended this year.

Its fundraising goes towards funding hospital, learning, and specialist disabled equipment among furniture, white goods, beds, school uniforms, and many other items that can help improve the lives of disadvantaged children.

Persimmon’s Community Champions fund sees over £700,000 spent every year on good causes and valued organisations across the UK. Recent local recipients include Weston-super-Mare Food Hub and South West Children’s Hospice.

The region has properties for sale at Beaufort Park, starting from £325,000. The site will see a total of 1,100 homes built for local people, alongside £20m for new infrastructure, sports facilities, schools, amenities, and social housing. Land will be transferred to the council for a new primary school, nursery centre, and multi-use community facility with provision for a youth centre and retail.

Space for a new railway station and an access road off the A4018 has also been secured, while the site will be home to outdoor sports facilities with two sports pitches, pavilion, multi-use games area and equipped play area. The site includes an area of public open space for children, with green corridors to support local wildlife, while 5,300 sqm of allotments will also be available to residents.

Commenting, Persimmon Homes Severn Valley’s Sales Director Carly Spear, said:

“Bristol Children’s Charity is a great organisation who we are proud to support – their work in the area is exceptional and they make an exemplary recipient of a Community Champions donation.

“They are clearly really valued by people in Bristol and we are delighted that we can play our part in helping them continue to help vulnerable children, especially with Christmas around the corner.

“At our Beaufort Park development, we are providing hundreds of quality homes, and not only are we proud to help local people get onto the housing ladder, we are also determined to give back to key organisations such as the city’s children’s charity.”

Jan Reynolds MBE, President of Bristol Children’s Charity, added:

“We’re very grateful for Persimmon’s support with this donation and their attendance at our annual Christmas Lunch, showing them to be a great partner for the charity.

“The funds donated will go a long way in helping us deliver for the local children who need this and it was great to speak with Carly about future opportunities where they can assist us.

“As an entirely volunteer-led organisation, we value every penny people and companies can spare, especially during the current financial climate, so we cannot wait to put those pounds into action and help sprinkle some Christmases cheers for children in Bristol.”