The Darlington branches of Darlington Building Society have become official charity partners of Help for Heroes’ Stockings for Heroes campaign and needs the help of the public to ensure it can bring Christmas cheer to as many of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans as possible.
Stockings for Heroes collect donations from the public, companies and organisations to put together Christmas stockings. Since the campaign began in 2007, Help for Heroes has distributed hundreds of Christmas stockings to the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans who are in hospital, rehabilitation centres or recovery centres across the country during Christmas.
The stockings are intended to boost morale and will be filled with a variety of treats such as books, games, toiletries, sweets and chocolate, all of which can be dropped off at any of Darlington Building Society’s 10 branches.
The gifts are destined for over 600 recipients in hospitals, at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre, in Surrey, and at five other recovery centres around the UK including the Phoenix House Recovery Centre in Catterick, which is run by Help for Heroes.
The charitable building society is also running a social media campaign. For every retweet, like or share its Help for Heroes posts receives, it will donate 10 pence from its community fund to Help for Heroes.
The Society is seeking donations of gifts from members of the public to make sure there are enough gifts to fill the stockings.
Colin Fyfe, Chief Executive Officer of Darlington Building Society, said: “The Christmas stockings bring much needed Christmas cheer to our injured heroes and we need your help ensure that as many of our injured servicemen and women as possible have a happy Christmas.
“We need donations of toiletries, playing cards and sweets to ensure that every serviceman or woman, who is in a hospital, or a recovery centre, will receive a stocking filled to the brim with goodies.
“The stockings are a fantastic way of showing our support to those who need a boost at a time of year when they should be enjoying time with their families – to remind them that they are not alone and are in our thoughts.
“I have great confidence that people of Darlington will support this campaign and ensure no one is forgotten this Christmas.”
People are asked to gather the gifts needed for each stocking and deliver them to the Darlington branches of the Darlington Building Society on Tubwell Row and West Auckland Road, which is open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 12 noon Saturday.