They may have been better equipped with a boat than Santa’s sleigh when it came to delivering presents this Christmas, yet a charitable group of volunteers from Leeds would not let flood waters stand in their way of bringing festive joy to Cumbria.
Following the torrential downpour of Storm Desmond, members of the Give a Gift initiative joined forces with The Parklane Group to donate and deliver over £10,000 worth of gifts and aid to victims of the floods.
For the past three years the two organisations have been working together to support various community projects and charity initiatives across the UK.
On Christmas Eve, their focus was switched to the major clean-up operation in Cumbria where families were forced to go without necessities over the holidays.
Via the donations from the Parklane Group and other organisations, the Give a Gift initiative provided communities with much needed goods and provisions.
Managing Director of Parklane Properties, Naveen Ahmed, said “We were devastated to see the effects of the storm in Cumbria and once we knew that Hamara was planning to visit the area on Christmas Eve, we immediately offered our support.
“Hopefully the gifts and financial support will provide some welcome reprieve as the community looks to re-build following the storm.”
Give a Gift was established to give the local Muslim Community a chance to play a wider role within mainstream society.
Raising thousands of pounds every year for local causes – Martin House Children’s Hospice and the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund at the Leeds General Infirmary – volunteers kick-start their charitable efforts each year with the annual Eid gift distribution.
Give a Gift Ambassador, Hanif Malik, hoped the gifts donated to residents in Cumbria would make a difference.
“The damage caused in Cumbria has affected thousands of people, so we welcome the support of any business or individual that has the ability to help,” he said.
“We’d like to thank Naveen and the team at Parklane for offering their support on Christmas Eve with this kind donation. We know it will make a real difference to the communities that need it.”
