A staggering £7,500 has been raised for Macmillan Cancer Support after kind-hearted Christmas shoppers at Shrewsbury Shopping Centres teamed up with Santa.
More than 1,500 children visited the grotto at Shrewsbury’s Darwin Centre in the run-up to Christmas, with all proceeds going to the charity that helps provide support to those who are affected by cancer. And the festive spirit and generosity of shoppers didn’t stop there, with a further £3,241 being donated as loose change tossed into the centre’s ‘polar bear enclosure.’
Kevin Lockwood, Centre Manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, said he was delighted that the festive fundraiser had proved such a success. “We raised just over £4,300 from parents’ donations to Santa, which is almost twice as much as we raised with last year’s campaign,” he said. “Not only that, but the polar bear display came into its own again this year, with our generous shoppers throwing their coin donations onto the snow surrounding the bears. We emptied it out each week and amazingly that took our total raised over the Christmas period to £7,551.40.”
The grotto was officially opened by Julia Allinson, from Admaston near Telford, who had herself received vital care from Macmillan following the tragic loss of her husband Geoff. After her own subsequent successful battle with cancer, Julia is now an ambassador for the charity.
“I have first-hand knowledge of just how important the work of Macmillan is and how significant the help they provide can be,” said Julia. “I am overwhelmed by the amazing generosity of Shrewsbury shoppers, and am both thrilled and grateful that the charity will now be able to help so many people get through such a potentially devastating time.”
Helen Knight, fundraising manager for Macmillan in Shropshire, said the total amount raised at the centre was ‘amazing.’ “I’d like to thank everyone at the shopping centre and every person who either gave generously to see Santa or who kindly donated their spare change,” she said. “Every penny raised for Macmillan goes to help people who are either dealing with cancer or its effects on their loved ones, and we are truly grateful for this amazing donation.”
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