The Ellesmere Port Christmas Dinner campaign, provided a memorable and meaningful Christmas day for 30 local care leavers, received a further boost of £3,500 from Essar at Stanlow.
This event was held at Whitby Hall and was hosted by Ellesmere Port theatre company Action Transport Theatre and a team of volunteers. Essar made the generous donation following its annual Christmas jumper fundraising event at the Stanlow refinery, all to help fund a special Christmas day for the young people attending the event, who have all previously been either in foster care or care homes.
The donation follows a successful few years of partnership between Essar and Action Transport Theatre, in which their joint projects have engaged thousands of local school children in creative learning projects aiming to boost resilience and mental health.
In addition the project has also received almost £5,000 in generous donations from the public, eager to provide a wonderful Christmas Day in the historic Whitby Hall, which has its own exciting development plans for 2019.
“This wonderful project has captured the hearts and minds of many local communities. We are really grateful to Essar and their brilliant employees. This donation along with many others, ensures these young people from across the borough will have an unforgettable Christmas Day.”
The Christmas Dinner project, which happened in various places around the UK, was originally started by Manchester-based poet and writer Lemn Sissay, whose recent TV documentary shone a light on the challenges faced by children within the care system.
The Lemn Sissay Foundation was quick to celebrate the generous donation: “It’s amazing! The love that Essar has shown our guests is such a wonderful thing. The Christmas Dinners are all about communities coming together, co-operating to support each other. Thank you so much. You are making magic happen.”
