Christmas Cheer.........

How many of our young people are living on the streets? Do you know? I didn't.

I cannot imagine anything worse than being alone and scared, not knowing any safety, not knowing where the next meal is coming from. No shelter, no relief from the colder weather, the rain, the oncoming winter which will only make matters worse.?

I walked to work this morning in a sudden downpour and sat in the office with wet jeans, and although the sun has now come out, and I’m inside, I’m still cold. How would I feel if I had nowhere to go? Maybe just a doorway to get out of the worst of the weather in? No prospect of going home and changing into warm, dry clothes. Or having a hot meal or drink.?To me, it’s totally unimaginable.?And yet last year, 121,000 young people asked a leading charity, Centrepoint , for help with homelessness. That’s 121,000 16 – 24 year olds!! Children and young people with no one else to turn to for help.??

This was mentioned in the office and it kicked off a discussion about what could be done, and both as a company and as individuals, we decided that we would rather help others than give a Christmas gifts to our clients and suppliers.

So, this year, rather than showcase our talents as designers and prototype makers, we thought we would like to send Christmas wishes to all our contacts, acquaintances, families and friends and ask you to join us instead in giving a donation to Centrepoint.?Just ￡10 is enough to give a homeless young person a Christmas dinner, for example. But it will give them more than that.?It will let them know that somewhere, someone is thinking about them. It will give them a hot meal. A few hours of warmth. Some kindness. Some hope.?And the wonderful people at Centrepoint can give them real help – they can provide accommodation, give health support, work with them to complete their education or gain crucial skills and prepare for a career.?Any amount of money you can give to them will make a difference to a young person’s life.?

Why not forego a couple of cups of takeaway coffee, or perhaps not give Christmas cards, or maybe make a lunch at home instead of buying a sandwich for a couple of weeks, and donate those few pounds instead? I have done. And as a company, Hillside Product Design Ltd has given ￡500 to Centrepoint and set up a JustGiving campaign which we are going to send to all our contacts.?

Maybe you could help us help young people in need by sharing this campaign with your contacts? We have all seen what a huge difference lots of people giving small amounts of money can make. I hope that at this time of year, when we are all getting excited about Christmas and seeing our families, exchanging gifts and looking forward to a lovely meal, that maybe we can divert a little of that to those that truly have nothing.