OnBuy.com, the UK’s most trusted online marketplace, has donated to Dorset’s disability charity, Diverse Abilities, in order to help the organisation create a Santa’s Grotto for the children it supports.
The Grotto, hosted at Coping with CHAOS in West Moors, saw 42 families attend to meet Father Christmas and receive presents for the children.
Amy Topp, short breaks coordinator at Diverse Abilities, commented: “I am really proud of the team for pulling together this Grotto for the children. We made many precautions to ensure the whole process was fully COVID-secure for both our staff and the families we support.
“It was truly heart-warming to see all the children enjoy something we initially thought would be impossible this year. We received loads of great feedback from the children and their parents alike.”
Feedback from those in attendance:
- “This is so awesome!” (from a child)
- “It’s just so magical, I can’t believe it.” (from a parent)
- “It is really hard finding something suitable to take the children to and we all needed a bit of Christmas magic this year – thank you!” (from a parent)
Coping with CHAOS and Project My Time support children aged up to 18 with additional needs, and their families, through play sessions during the school holidays, family sessions, advice and guidance for parents, and weekend clubs for children and their siblings.
OnBuy is a fair, transparent and ethical online marketplace that offers customers more than 30 million products, all supplied by thousands of trusted online retailers. From household names to independent sellers, buyers can shop securely for products from a range of categories, such as electricals, beauty, home and garden, toys, and baby supplies.
Cas Paton, OnBuy’s CEO and winner of Just Entrepreneurs’ Founder of the Year 2020, added: “We take pride in supporting our community, so it’s great to be able to give back to organisations on our doorstep here in Poole. Christmas should be a magical time for all children and I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to play a part in creating some magic for the families supported by Diverse Abilities.
“The pandemic has had such an impact on not-for-profit organisations. It’s going to be crucial, for those of us who can, to really dig deep in the coming years and help charitable causes so that they can continue supporting those who need it most.”
Visit diverseabilities.org.uk to find out more about the charity and its work.