Hemel shopping centre spreads festive cheer with £2,000 charity donation this Christmas

Staff at the Marlowes Shopping centre, in Hemel Hempstead, have been spreading festive cheer this Christmas by donating their party fund to charity.

The shopping centre donated £1,000 to Sunnyside Rural Trust - the Dacorum Mayor’s Charity of the Year - and the donation has been match-funded by the centre’s owners C&R, meaning the charity will benefit from £2,000 to support vulnerable people in the community this December.

Sunnyside Rural Trust, like many other charities, have faced a challenging year.

They have remained open and operated a full service throughout the year, in addition to the usual services they also ran food bank deliveries and engagement and activity kits with their partners, whilst also working with the children’s centre to offer kits to vulnerable children in Dacorum.

Mayor of Dacorum, Cllr Terry Douris, said: “Thank you so much to the Marlowes Shopping Centre staff for their contribution to our wonderful local charity, The Sunnyside Rural Trust.

"This year more than ever we have needed projects like this which bring together people with disabilities to develop new skills while growing and making fantastic local produce.

“The money donated through the Mayor’s charity will be used to pay for the development of its facility in Northchurch, which includes the intention to house a small number of rescued livestock for the trainees to care for.”

Humphrey Mwanza, Manager of Marlowes Shopping Centre, said: ‘’This year has been very challenging, especially for the vulnerable in our local community.

"Capital and Regional and The Marlowes Shopping Centre are delighted to extend a helping hand with a donation to Sunnyside Rural Trust.

"I am pleased to see all the good work that the Mayor’s charity has done this year and it is my humble wish that this gesture will add a little cheer to those in need this Christmas.’’

For more about the work Sunnyside Rural Trust do click here.