Lytham lawyers launch Christmas collection drive

Vincents to support The Community Hub this festive season

Vincents Solicitors is continuing its support for a St Annes charity with a Christmas gift collection. The law firm is appealing for donations for The Community Hub at the Church Road Methodist Church in St Annes, including food for Wesley’s food larder which was officially opened last week.

Gifts and essentials will be handed out to families and people in need who use the Community Hub, which hosts a variety of activities and houses both the food larder and Wesley’s Café, which provides good quality homecooked meals at very low prices. The team has also pledged to help stock up the shelves at Wesley’s Café and support their fundraising drive to buy new crockery and cutlery.

Vincents has been involved with The Hub for almost two years, having provided professional support for the sale of land which helped fund the project, and sponsorship for the fundraising bids to kit out the building once complete.

Both of Vincents’ Lytham offices will take part and the team is hoping for community-wide support. Staff and clients will be encouraged to donate something from the Wish List, and members of the public will be welcome to get involved and use the branches as a drop off point.

Zoe Fleming, a private client solicitor based at Vincents’ Park Street office, said: “The Community Hub is doing such impressive work every day of the year, providing meals, companionship, training and support for local people who need it. We’re proud to be a supporter of the charity, and hope to bring a little extra Christmas cheer to staff, volunteers and guests of The Hub this festive season.

“We’ve already collected quite a lot in the office but we wanted to open it to the community to donate via our offices if they wanted to take part. It’s a short and sweet collection, with everything needing to be in by December 23rd, and we would love to have some big boxes to hand over on Christmas Eve.”

Donations can include gifts, especially for children, and treats like chocolate and biscuits which will be given out as presents. While the café’s storeroom shelves would be grateful for teabags, coffee, butter spread, milk and new tea towels.

Wesley’s Food Larder was officially opened in November by the Under Sheriff of Lancashire David Cam, aims to provide a selection of items for people to take home. It has an extensive shopping list including tinned foods and jars, long-life fruits, vegetables, and snacks like crisps and biscuits as a special treat for the festive season.

Matthew Scott, head of Vincents’ commercial team at the Jubilee House office, added: “It’s that time of year when people really want to do something special for others, and this is a really lovely initiative. We will be spreading the word among our corporate clients and pooling our donations with colleagues at the Park Street branch to hopefully make a little difference for someone this year.”

Rev Stephen Heath of the Church Road Methodist Church said: “Since we reopened Wesley’s Café in the summer we have been able to provide a friendly welcome for local people to come and enjoy some company over a hot meal. We are lucky to have such a generous community supporting us, especially when it comes to having stocks available to send folks home with a parcel if they need it.

“At Christmastime people often feel the need more keenly, and some families simply go without. We are enormously grateful for everyone who brings a donation, even just one item is hugely appreciated, and we’re delighted that Vincents has chosen to support us this year. Hopefully, together, we can make life a little easier for people this Christmas.

Vincents is happy to accept donations at its offices in Park Street in Lytham town centre or at Jubilee House on East Beach until 12noon on Monday December 23rd. As part of its community commitment, Vincents is also one of the sponsors of the Lytham Christmas lights in the town centre.

The Wish List

For Wesley’s Café:
Tea, coffee, butter spread and milk.
Tea towels, donations towards purchasing new crockery and cutlery (please do not donate these).
Gift vouchers for supermarkets for fresh ingredients.

For Wesley’s Larder:
1) Long Life Fruits such as melons, oranges, satsumas, pineapples, lemons (which last a long time in the fridge and are quite expensive for people on low incomes).
2) Fresh Vegetables like potatoes, carrots, leeks, onions, garlic, peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, swede, celery.
3) Sweet and savoury biscuits, crisps, party snacks, chocolates.
4) Tins, packets or jars, such as baked beans, tinned tomatoes, soups, mayonnaise, jams, marmalade, pasta, rice.
(We cannot accept any alcoholic drinks.)

For families
Christmas presents for families, especially children