A Malvern school has been given a donation to help struggling families buy Christmas presents.

As part of a Worcestershire social housing group’s annual Christmas Kindness Campaign, a £200 cheque has been donated to St Matthias Primary School in Malvern.

Platform Housing Group – one of the largest Housing Associations in the UK – donated the money so that vouchers could be bought for families who have children at the school and are struggling this Christmas, to enable them to buy presents and food.

“It has never been more important to provide Christmas kindness in our local communities as our customers, like most people, are struggling to manage their household budget due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis,” said Platform’s chief operations officer, Marion Duffy. 

“This year, we have donated over £30,000 as part of our annual campaign, supporting local charities, community groups and schools, like St Matthias Primary School, who work in our local communities and support our customers.”

Along with St Matthias Primary School, Platform has donated a total of £3,000 to organisations in Malvern, including Kempsey School, Malvern Foyer, The Cube, Malvern Cricket Club, Social Prescribers, Action for Children and Church Foodbank, Octagon Centre and Malvern Town Football Club.

Ginnie Beale, headteacher at St Matthias Primary School, said: “'We are so grateful to Platform Housing Group’s ‘Christmas Kindness Campaign’ for donating the shopping vouchers and thinking of St Matthias.

“Our families, like many others, are struggling with the rising cost of living so any help is always appreciated but particularly at Christmas. I know the vouchers have made a difference to the children at our school.”

Malvern Hills District Council has recently announced it will spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Its plans include measures to reduce to cost of living for Malvern Hills residents and supporting community organisations to host community builder roles.