Jaguar Land Rover Solihull employees give their time to spread some happiness at Christmas

Now in its third year, 12 Days of Christmas gave Jaguar Land Rover employees a special opportunity to make a difference in their local community.

Funded entirely by employee payroll giving through the Land Rover Charity Fund and the Jaguar Land Rover Motorvate Fund, JLR supported 15 employee-selected local charities and community groups over the festive period – both financially and through volunteering.

A total of £12,000 and hundreds of volunteering hours from Jaguar Land Rover Solihull was split between the 15 organisations, which ranged from local community centres and youth projects to homeless charities who support people living on the streets of Birmingham.

One of the nominated 12 Days of Christmas beneficiaries was Spreading the Happiness, a registered charity set up to support families living below the poverty line by providing them with Happiness Hampers – food packages are provided to families with children who rely on getting a hot meal at school and find it difficult to make ends meet during the school holidays.

Thanks to the generous donations from Jaguar Land Rover Solihull employees, Spreading the Happiness received a cheque for £3,260. Every penny donated will be used to buy food and toiletries to support Solihull families who will struggle during what is often the most expensive time of year for families.

Shonette Bason-Wood, Spreading The Happiness said “This 12 Days of Christmas gift will make hundreds of happiness hampers and put food into tummies of local children so that they have a chance to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

“I can’t thank Jaguar Land Rover employees enough, you’ve really spread the happiness this Christmas.”

Hayley Weaver, Manufacturing Administrator at Jaguar Land Rover said “For three years we have taken part in 12 Days of Christmas and every year its gets bigger and better.

“This year we picked out Happiness Hampers which is part of the charity Spreading the Happiness. After learning more about the number of families in this area who are struggling to provide a hot meal each day for their children, we thought about how we could make a real difference to their household.

“I’m so proud that as well as the 12 Days cheque donation of £1,500, we were able to raise £1,760 from across the plant with employees donating their spare change to this fantastic cause.

Photo: Shonette Bason-Wood from Spreading the Happiness collects cheque donation from Jaguar Land Rover Solihull employees, to help local families during the school holidays.