Miller Homes is appealing to the people in its West Midlands
region to support its Christmas charity campaign and to donate
essential items required for this year's Birmingham Christmas
Shelter.
With collection points around the region, including the
housebuilder's marketing suites at Littleton Green, Northcote,
Miller Central, Miller Point, Badgers Dene and Maddocks Grange,
Miller Homes is hoping to play Father Christmas with a bumper
delivery to the Shelter in time for this year's festivities.
Birmingham Christmas Shelter is a registered charity run
entirely by volunteers. For over 30 years the charity has been
providing an essential service during a time when many other
facilities are closed. This Christmas it will take over the
premises of the St George's Community Hub, Great Hampton Row in
Birmingham for a week, providing food, warmth, shelter and
friendship for homeless and lonely people.
A full list of items required by the Shelter this Christmas can
be found on the charity's website
www.birminghamchristmasshelter.org. This includes a whole host of
essentials from toiletries and socks to tins of dog food and any
items which could be used as bingo prizes. None of the items need
to be wrapped, they can simply be dropped off at the participating
marketing suite any time up until the 20th December and Miller
Homes will make sure they get to the Shelter in time for
Christmas.
Ann Crick, sales director for Miller Homes, said: "With the UK
currently experiencing its worst housing shortage in almost 70
years, there is a real threat that the country's homeless situation
could worsen and more and more people could find themselves relying
on a charity such as the Birmingham Christmas Shelter. The
charity has been doing a tremendous job for 30 years now; however
it relies on a huge amount of seasonal goodwill - being entirely
dependent on donations.
"We know that Christmas can be a particularly expensive time of
year, but we are appealing to members of the public to just buy one
extra present this year and donate it to the Shelter. Whether you
put an extra tube of toothpaste in your shopping trolley or you
have a sealed tin of festive chocolates you could happily give
away, all contributions are gratefully received and they will go a
long way to making Christmas a far more enjoyable and comfortable
experience for many homeless and lonely people this year."
Jason Woodward is a trustee of the charity. He said: "The doors
to the Birmingham Christmas Shelter are open 24 hours a day during
Christmas week and, typically, we welcome between 50 and 150 guests
on a daily basis, providing hot meals and drinks, entertainment and
a safe and warm place to sleep.
"St. George's Community Hub has a purpose built kitchen, dining
room, showers and a large hall with a stage; however we rely on
donations from generous members of the public to ensure visitors to
the shelter are provided with essential items. We are therefore
very grateful to Miller Homes for raising awareness of the charity
and for helping to generate support at such a key time of
year."
For those who want to support the charity from the comfort of
their own homes, there is also an option of making a financial
donation via the online auction site Ebay. A perfect solution for
those who to de-clutter their homes with a pre-Christmas clear-out
this December, unwanted items can be sold on Ebay with part or all
of the sales proceeds going to the charity. When selling an item,
there is a 'donate' option and Birmingham Christmas Shelter can be
selected as the chosen charity.
For more information on the Birmingham Christmas Shelter, please
go to www.birminghamchristmasshelter.org.