Thanks to the incredible generosity of our friends, partners and clients, we were able to put a smile on the faces of over 200 children across Sheffield and the surrounding regions ahead of Christmas.
Last week, our in-house charity Ant Kids invited children from the local area to enjoy a magical, festive experience, as we opened the doors to our very own Winter Wonderland, complete with Santa’s Grotto, candy cane walkway and of course, Santa and his elves.
The aim of the two day event was to allow disadvantaged children and children with life limiting conditions across the region the opportunity to experience the magic of Christmas. Each child who visited Santa’s Grotto received a specially chosen gift, a framed photograph with Santa, and a delicious hot chocolate with the elves.
Holly Fordham, Ant Marketing Account Manager, Ant Kids Trustee and organiser of the event said:
“We organised this event to provide a magical, festive experience to children who might otherwise not see Father Christmas this year.
“Christmas should be a special time for children but sadly this is not always the case, so we spoke with nurseries, schools, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, foster carers, youth clubs, children’s homes and respite units and invited the children down to make some special memories.
“Whilst we love to help as many children as we can throughout the year, as a charity our mission has always been to ensure Christmas is a magical time for all children, no matter what their circumstances may be.
“The event has been a year in the planning and we were mindful to ensure that we catered for the differing needs of all the children that attended. “It has been an absolute pleasure to organise this event and seeing the smiles on the faces of the children has been delightful.”
We would like to thank every single individual and organisation who gave money to help make this wonderful event happen, and we would also like to extend special thanks to Sheffield Town Trust, Simon Whitworth of TW Ward and Nestlé.