Pictured above: Liz Sewell, Victoria Centre Marketing
Manager with Major Gareth Dickens
Nottingham's Victoria Centre and The Salvation Army hope to
bring a smile to over 700 local children and teenagers this year as
they launch their Christmas Present Appeal. Visitors to the popular
shopping centre are being asked to buy an extra gift when shopping
for family and friends for children aged 0 - 16 years who have
little or nothing under the tree on Christmas morning.
Over 500,000 visitors a week are expected through the doors of
Victoria Centre in the run up to Christmas which means that the
target of 700 presents could well be broken. With a recommended
gift value of £10 per item, £7000 or more worth of new
gifts could be donated to the Appeal. The Salvation Army
distributes the gifts to local people in the East Midlands often
with the help of social services, health visitors or other local
agencies.
To help make the choice a bit easier, many stores in Victoria
Centre are providing a list of recommended gifts according to age.
The hardest age range to buy for is 11 - 16 years, so shoppers
might think about choosing CDs, DVDs, books, cosmetics and
toiletries as well as sports items, hats and scarves, T-Shirts and
small jewellery items. Other popular items with the younger ages
are craft and colouring kits, dolls and action figures, puzzles and
construction toys. All items must be new and unwrapped.
Gifts can be taken to the donation station positioned next to
John Lewis and Gap on the Lower Mall between Thursday 2nd -
Saturday 4th December and Thursday 9th - Saturday 11th December.
They are also being collected in Superdrug on the Lower Mall from
12th November - 12th December.
Major Gareth Dickens, co-ordinator of The Salvation Army's
William Booth Memorial Complex in Sneinton, says: "We are so
grateful to Victoria Centre for joining us in the Appeal for the
first time this year. The offer of the donation station in such a
prominent position will help enormously and we are confident we
will meet this year's target."
Liz Sewell, Marketing Manager for Victoria Centre adds: "Our
visitors are always very generous and with a little help from our
stores, they will find the purchase of an extra special gift that
much easier. It's all about bringing a smile to someone who will no
doubt remember that gift from an unknown friend forever."