This year, we have donated a total of 279 gifts to children locally who otherwise would not receive one on Christmas Day.

Peter James Homes, along with our infrastructure partner J McCann & Co Ltd, acted as a drop-off point for this year’s Mission Christmas appeal, in association with Gem Radio, Greatest Hits Radio East Midlands, and Cash for Kids Midlands.

Mission Christmas aims to help put a smile on the faces of a child in need, by making sure they have a present to wake up to on Christmas Day.

Across the company and our development sites in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, we asked our staff, suppliers, business associates and residents to donate new unwrapped gifts for all ages, to be placed in the donation box, in the foyer of the our headquarters, in Chilwell, Nottingham.

We also held a Chrstmas Jumper Day to raise funds and planted a special Christmas wish tree at our Woodland Heights development in Bullbridge, where we gave residents the opportunity to hang clear baubles on it for a small donation.

Some 279 brand new gifts were donated, and a further £780 via donations, proving the region’s generosity even while in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

MaryClaire Morgan, sales and customer care manager at Peter James Homes, said: “We know times are hard for everyone at the moment, which makes it especially humbling to see the generosity and Christmas spirit of everyone who has donated to this appeal.

“We’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the kindness expressed by those buying one extra present this year – one that will truly put a smile on a child or young person’s face in our local area on Christmas morning.”

Companies that contributed to the haul of gifts included M360, Marshall Industrial Supplies, Poppy PR, Sequence, Gateley PLC, Nuneaton Signs and Midway Clothing.

Local PR and media firm Poppy PR, as well as Sequence, the estate agent for Peter James Homes, also sent a volunteer team along to Mission Christmas’ HQ in Colwick, to help sort the donated gifts to ensure they get to those children aged 0-18 in our region who are most in need.

Kelly Gross-Bias, charity fundraising executive at Cash for Kids, said: “We are so grateful for the continued support of the wonderful team at Peter James Homes and all of the people and companies who donated a toy this year. A huge thank you to all, it is so very much appreciated. We wouldn’t be able to reach as many children as we do without them.

“Many families are having to make choices at the moment such as ‘do I heat or do I eat’, and so, for many, Christmas will be a luxury that they simply cannot afford. We hear stories in our Mission Christmas HQ daily about the difference these donations are going to make to children and the relief it brings to the families, helping to make Christmas the special day it should be.”

She added: “This year we received applications for more than 5,000 children in the East Midlands so more than ever we need your donations so that every child can wake up with a gift this Christmas. “

Mission Christmas is the largest Christmas toy appeal in the UK.  To find out more visit Mission Christmas | Cash for Kids