M62 Ouse Bridge teams bring festive happiness to children

There were hundreds of extra happy smiles on the faces of children in East Yorkshire on Christmas morning thanks to a festive appeal – with the team behind the repairs to the M62 Ouse Bridge, Winvic and VSL, raising £915 towards the Goole Toy Appeal.

The appeal aims to ensure every child in the area has a happy Christmas and receives a sack of toys and gifts. It is led by the team at the Goole branch of HEY Credit Union with Two Rivers Community Pantry and the Goole Times.

After hearing about the appeal from The Goole Times’ senior reporter Emily Collins, the Ouse Bridge team launched straight into action, with Winvic Construction Ltd and VSL raising the money in just one week.

John Stebbing, National Highways Project Manager, said: “It’s really important to us at National Highways that we can give something back to the communities in which we work, and we cannot thank our contractor teams Winvic Construction and VSL enough for raising so much to bring smiles to the faces of hundreds of young people in Goole on Christmas Day. This is a fantastic cause and we’re very proud of everyone who has helped make this possible.”

Howard Taylor, Framework Manager, Winvic Construction Ltd said:
“Winvic is dedicated to supporting the communities in which we work and live. After hearing about the Goole Toy Appeal, we were compelled to contribute. A heartfelt appreciation goes to VSL and every team member who rallied to raise a total of £915, ensuring every child's holiday wish comes true this Christmas.”

The donation is in addition to the organisations across the area who have organised toy collections from within their staff, as well as providing drop-off points for donations. The money raised from the Ouse Bridge team enabled appeal organisers to buy toys in the age ranges where they see fewer donations, ensuring children of all ages received a gift.
As a result of the incredible actions of every organisation and individual who took part across the area, the Two Rivers Community Pantry, where the appeal is based, resembled a festive grotto packed with construction sets, cuddly toys, puzzles and other gift sets.

This certainly kept toy appeal organiser Jo Evans busy as she and a small group of volunteers worked around the clock to gather the gifts into sacks.
To assist Jo with the mammoth task, volunteers from National Highways and Winvic also helped to put together the Christmas sacks, ready for the children of families in need in the area who may not otherwise receive gifts.

This is just one of the ways National Highways and its supply chain community has supported communities across in Yorkshire and the North East as the festive season approaches. The teams have also been collecting gifts for the Salvation Army to distribute to those who would otherwise be going without this Christmas and to the Trussell Trust to distribute to those in need across their food network.