This giant gift box has appeared in Whiteley to help shoppers give back to three charities helping those in need

Located in Whiteley’s Town Square, visitors can use contactless payment to easily donate £3, £5 or £10 to three charities.

The chosen good causes are Abbeyfield Fareham Society, Friends of PICU and Acts of Kindness, and each donation will make the giving box light up.

Mia Gordon, centre manager at Whiteley, said: ‘This festive season, it seems only right to focus on supporting the people, charities and organisations that have gone above and beyond to help the people most in need in our community.

‘We hope our customers will enjoy reversing the role of Santa and giving back to these amazing organisations that help people across the region.’

The Abbeyfield Fareham Society is a charity that provides 'home from home' accommodation for active older people on a non-profit basis.

Founded in 1963, it is supported by a team of independent volunteers and offers local elderly people comfort, companionship and security.

Southampton’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit is the regional lead centre for critically ill children, supporting more than 1,000 children every year.

Friends of PICU contributes to every part of the children’s specialist care, from new inpatient intensive care beds, specialist retrieval ambulances, all-important spaces for families to rest, and state of the art equipment.

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Acts of Kindness supports those in the community who are going through a difficult situation for all kinds of reasons, providing food, clothing and household items to those in need.

Through the Covid crisis the team has served more than 5,000 people with food and items.

Whitley shopping centre has also launched a competition to reward someone who has gone out of their way to support the local community this year with £250 to spend on themselves at Whiteley as a small thank you for all their hard work.

To nominate someone special, fill out a simple entry form at whiteleyshopping.co.uk/christmas/community-heroes and explain why you think they deserve to win.

Throughout December the centre will be open from 9am to 7pm, with free parking for up to four hours available as usual.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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