12 Days of Christmas Community Giving
This festive season #TeamMidlandLead would like to give a big shout out & make a small difference to 12 local charities by donating gifts and money towards their Christmas appeals.
It’s incredible what our local charities achieve throughout the year and their work is so important and touches many lives, we are immensely proud of the endless hours they dedicate to support others. We wish every single person who rely on these small charities warm wishes this Christmas, and would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to all those volunteering heroes.
Here is a roundup of the amazing charities that we would like to support over 12 days in December.
Day One – Hannah’s Hope
We are making a donation to Hannah’s Hope, accessibility ramp. Hannah, lives in South 
Derbyshire, and despite her continuing battle with cancer, she has founded a charity to create a lovely respite retreat for Teenage Cancer patients, near Mercia Marina. This year has seen the lodge opening! Hannah is now looking to raise £12,000 for an accessibility ramp for her lodge – giving other Teenage Cancer patients a much needed rest and break in their treatment and a place for the whole family to recuperate and make memories. If you can and would like to donate too, please go to: Accessibility Ramp Appeal For Hannah’s Hope Teenage Cancer Retreat – JustGiving
Day Two –#AndysManClub
Andy’s Man Club are a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free to attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online. We want to support their mission to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation. #ITSOKAYTOTALK. If like us, you’d like to donate, please see their website for more details:
Day Three – Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance
Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance was initially created to respond to the immediate needs of people in Derby at the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020. Whilst they continue to meet the immediate need of food insecurity, their main focus is to support and signpost those accessing our services to tackle the root causes of their deprivation and poverty. We will donate money towards 3 reverse advent calendars for DF4TA .
Day Four – Local girls’ grassroots football
Throughout the season we’re supporting a number of local girls’ grassroots football teams – Gresley Rovers Girls FC, Albert Village FCand Swadlincote Town FC. We are big fans of local, grassroots football – providing girls with a safe, fun and friendly environment to play football, learn and develop.
We will be donating chocolate treats to the girls’ teams after a successful first part of the season – huge shout out to the amazing coaching and support staff that make this all possible too!
Day Five – Co-Treetment
Our 5th community giving initiative goes to not-for-profit Co-Treetment. Established in 2019, Co-Treetment specialise in planting trees and the creation of local woodland spaces. Providing carbon capture for companies like us, along with remembrance trees and natural habitats for wildlife to thrive. We will be purchasing 5 trees and make a small difference to both our planet and a young persons life experience. Every tree planted will include a £5 donation to contribute towards the cost of a holiday with the Derby Childrens Holiday Charity, while simultaneously planting a tree to positively impact the environment. Shop online and donate: Shop | Co-Treetment
Day Six – me&dee
me&dee assist families where a parent or child has a life-limiting or life shortening health condition. They gift them the means to share the precious time they have left together. Monetary donations at this time of year are gratefully received and really help them put into action the difference they want to make for the countless families they support – this upcoming Sunday they are taking a group of over 130 to the NEC Winter Funland for a perfectly festive day out, tailored to each individual family and suitable to accessibility requirements. Events like this provide families with the opportunity to make memories together when time is short and precious.
We will be donating towards 6 memory-making keepsake activities such as pottery painting or decorative mementos that they can treasure forever, after the loss of a loved one. If you can, please donate on: Donate – Me & Dee
Day Seven – Aquabox, clean water in a crisis
We’ve heard about this charity via our East Midlands Manufacturing Network – Aquabox – where they shared best practices in lean manufacturing. Aquabox provides safe drinking water and humanitarian aid to people affected by natural disasters, extreme weather and conflicts. Aquabox is a volunteer-led charity. Run almost entirely by volunteers means that 95% of donations go directly to manufacturing the filters and distributing the Aquaboxes. From local volunteers making and assembling the water filters on site then filling the boxes with emergency supplies, to organising the logistics of distribution so the water filters and Aqua-aid boxes get to the very heart of a crisis, means more money goes directly to those who need it the most. We’ll be donating money towards an aqua aid box. For more info: Aquabox – Clean Water in a Crisis
Day Eight (UPBEAT COMMUNITIES)
Upbeat Communities is a Derby-based charity that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, helping them to settle – empowering them to thrive as they rebuild their lives. We will be donating towards 8 English language classes, to help reduce isolation and break down language barriers. If you can, support the work of Upbeat Communities online: Donate to Support Refugees in Derby — Upbeat Communities
Day Nine – Derbyshire Baton of Hope
Baton of Hope is a charity close to our heart – the UK’s biggest suicide Prevention Initiative. The Baton of Hope is part of a growing movement aspiring to a zero-suicide society, and they will simply not tolerate more than 6,000 suicide deaths per year in the UK (as currently) when most suicides are preventable. This year, the Baton of Hope has passed through Derbyshire #passiton, and at Midland Lead we have signed the Baton’s Workplace Pledge. A donation to the charity will contribute to raising awareness about suicide prevention. The Baton of Hope | Events | #PASSITON
Day Ten – Light up a Light for Treetops Hospice
With a donation towards 10 Lights for a Life Tree to Treetops Hospice our money could fund twenty hours of care, giving families the chance to bring festive joy into their home Local charity Treetops Hospice provides nursing care and emotional support for anyone affected by a life-limiting illness or bereavement in Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Treetops supports people with illnesses such as cancer, motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. All services are provided free of charge. If you can help donate towards some festive joy, find out more here: Where every day counts – Treetops Hospice
Day Eleven – Safe & Sound
What an amazing year Safe and Sound has had. With the recent opening of their new Derby ‘home’, they can now support children, young people and families affected by all forms of exploitation – largely sexual and criminal exploitation, but including arranged marriage, trafficking, gangs and county lines – right in the city. We will gift money towards 11 Hope Boxes for children supported by Safe & Sound. These specially designed boxes give children and young people a gift packed full of motivation and encouragement. Each box will be delivered directly to a child or young person. https://www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk/product/the-hope-box/
Day Twelve – Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre
Since 1891, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has given children facing challenging circumstances in their daily lives, the chance to experience something many of us take for granted – a holiday by the sea. DCHC, is a small but determined Derbyshire charity with a big impact, built on the belief that every child deserves joy, adventure, and memories to cherish. We will be donating money to help cover 12 meals, transport and activities for a child during their stay in Skegness. For more info: Donate – Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre
