Allied Vehicles staff have truly embraced the spirit of giving this year, with one team swapping Secret Santa for something more meaningful, and the wider company donning some dazzling Christmas jumpers to support Save the Children.
In Edinburgh, the team at Allied Parts chose to make a difference by donating gifts to the Forth 1 Cash for Kids Mission Christmas appeal instead of taking part in a traditional Secret Santa.
Stephen Dick, department manager at the Edinburgh site, shared how the team felt about their decision, saying “Donating the gifts to our local Cash for Kids charity gave the team a sense of satisfaction knowing that the gifts will be going to kids and families who are less fortunate than ourselves. We felt helping our local community was more worthwhile than doing a Secret Santa.”
The festive spirit didn’t stop there. The Operations team in Glasgow ran annual raffle which has raised £1,000 for East Park School in Maryhill.
The raffle prizes included Christmas hampers, Amazon vouchers, Speedway tickets and more, and were donated by suppliers, managers and staff across Allied, and this year the team approached the Directors for donations for the first time. The raffle has become more and more popular every year, raising £600 in the first year, £800 last year, and £1,000 this year.
Raffle organiser Wullie Blackwood praised staff for their involvement. “The generosity of everyone here has been brilliant, second to none,” Wullie said, “It’s all about the kids at the end of the day. Waking up on Christmas morning knowing that wee kid somewhere has a present who might not have had one, it’s what Christmas is all about.”
Finally, staff from across Allied’s sites got seasonally suited-and-booted for Save the Children, getting into the spirit, and some seasonal clothing, for their Christmas Jumper Day, held on Thursday 12th December.
The team has raised over £120 on their JustGiving page, with cash donations still to be counted. True to the company’s charitable values, Allied Vehicles has pledged to match the total raised by staff, doubling the impact for Save the Children.
Allied Vehicles’ Managing Director, Peter Facenna – sporting his own cozy Christmas knitwear – expressed his pride at Allied staff’s generosity, “I couldn’t be prouder of our team for their incredible kindness and community spirit this Christmas. By choosing to support local families through the Mission Christmas appeal, raising a fantastic sum through the raffle, coming together for Glasgow’s Spirit of Christmas and the Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day, they’ve shown the true meaning of the season – making a real difference to those who need it most.”
Have a look at some of the Christmas jumpers on show below!
