By Aston Villa FC

The Aston Villa Foundation has been able to provide local children with Christmas presents thanks to supporters' toy and cash donations, ticket sale round-ups and pennies donations via the club store.

Children in Aston, Ladywood, Handsworth Wood, Lozells, Nechells and Erdington have received gifts, with many parents struggling to provide them in the current cost of living crisis.

The Foundation would like to thank everyone who contributed to such an incredible cause and extend a thank you to Heaphys Menswear and Formal Hire in Redditch as well as their customers for the donation of new toys.

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Participants of our Villa TeamWork mental health programme and Women’s Walking Football team were on hand with wrapping up the toys for children of varying ages to open on Christmas morning.

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Presents were donated to 4 local hubs across Birmingham: Witton Lodge, Home-Start (North and Inner-City Birmingham), Soho House and Ladywood SureStart Children’s Centre, where they will be distributed to parents and children who require their crucial services.

Soho House and SureStart Children’s Centre are two centres running a Holiday Kitchen programme for families who require free school meals, providing families with hot food and a warm place to play over the Christmas holidays. SureStart expect that 50 local families will benefit from the programme, with toy donations given out to families during the programme. 

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60 Aston Villa shirts have also been donated by club principal partner Cazoo, through the Foundation’s Supporting Our Own initiative. The shirts were distributed to the children’s centres, as well as Aston and Nechells Foodbank, as a way of giving back to fans this Christmas.

The Supporting Our Own initiative, supported and powered by Cazoo, underlines the club’s commitment to the local community and the wider Aston Villa family. Managed by the Aston Villa Foundation, Supporting Our Own provides an identity for the club’s work in the community and its approach to corporate social responsibility, as well as offering valuable assistance for local charities, voluntary organisations and sports clubs with their own fundraising efforts.

 

"The Aston Villa Foundation and Cazoo have been kind enough to donate 20 football shirts for us to be able to give out to our clients. It's not all about feeding peoples tummies but also about making people feel that bit better about things and hopefully putting a smile on someone’s face. Thank you AVFC!"

Suzi Lea

Foodbank Programme Coordinator, Aston and Nechells Foodbank

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"I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone at Aston Villa Foundation and Cazoo for the toys and football shirts delivered to us. The football shirts have had parents get emotional, as it is such a fantastic present for their children to open on Christmas day. You have truly made their Christmas. We have finished delivering them to the families and they were truly grateful to receive them. Thanks again from everyone at Home-Start Birmingham North and Inner city and all the families for your continuous support."

Nafisa Gharda

Home-Start Birmingham North and Inner City

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