GWP once again supports loneliness charity with its Christmas initiative

GWP has once again helped the Marmalade Trust, the Bristol-based loneliness charity, to cheer up Christmas for hundreds of local people.

Having worked with the Trust for the charity’s Christmas Cheer initiative in 2022, the Wiltshire-based packaging business has again donated hundreds of cardboard boxes for this year’s project. The boxes will be decorated and filled with gifts by the charity’s volunteers and then distributed to individuals experiencing loneliness during the festive period.

The charity’s Christmas Cheer project aims to engage those who feel particularly lonely and isolated. For example, individuals could be older people with no family or friends around.

Support includes Christmas lunches in pubs or restaurants throughout Bristol, South Gloucestershire and the North Somerset region. Each member receives a connection doorstep visit in November and a Christmas gift.

This initiative is part of a wider project run by the charity, which involves funding Christmas Day meals at mini-events in pubs and restaurants for those who would otherwise spend the day alone and providing a hamper full of goodies; to some, this will be their only gift.

Martin Green, Regional Director at the Marmalade Trust, commented:

With so much celebrating, gifts, food and festive cheer, it is sometimes easy to overlook how difficult Christmas can be for someone who is struggling with loneliness. For some people, Christmas can be a dreaded, sad and lonely time.

He added:

We don’t want anyone to spend Christmas Day alone if they don’t want to. So having support from businesses such as GWP is a great help and enables us to reach more people during this time.

The Marmalade Trust, founded in 2013, is the only charity in the world dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness.

Through various projects, it identifies the people most at risk of experiencing loneliness in society, signpost them to the proper support and resources and empowers them to make new friendships and connections. They also aim to raise awareness about loneliness across all sections of society.

David Mason, Sales Director at GWP Packaging, commented:

We were proud to be able to help The Marmalade Trust in 2022, but loneliness doesn’t go away, so it made complete sense to continue our support for the important work the charity undertakes. The Christmas period can be particularly challenging for anyone experiencing loneliness, which is why the support for anyone experiencing this is so vital.

Besides their involvement with The Marmalade Trust, GWP has supported various other community groups and Christmas projects.

For example, GWP has provided extensive support for The Swindon Food Collective (formerly Swindon Foodbank) and, more recently, Devizes Foodbank.

Besides this, GWP has sponsored The Cricklade Band’s Christmas performances. It has even supplied cardboard Christmas trees for primary school children to decorate (a similar project in 2015 also saw trees decorated by students given to Whitbourne House care home in Swindon).

Other projects in 2023 included donating boxes to a local medical charity, and ongoing sponsorship for “cardboard ninja” Ben Edmonds‘ workshops (including course places for Ukrainian children).

David continued:

We have many longstanding relationships with local groups and charities. So we understand the importance of supporting our local community and organisations like The Marmalade Trust, and we will always try to assist where we can.

For further information on The Marmalade Trust, you can visit their website at www.marmaladetrust.org.

For more details of GWP’s work in the local community and how you can get involved, please view the news section of this site.