Some of South Wales’ most vulnerable children who might otherwise have no presents at Christmas will now have gifts to unwrap, thanks to generous coffee drinkers.
Customers of Starbucks branches run by the Magic Bean franchise are being invited to collect a star from an instore Christmas tree and donate a gift for the child named on the star. The children are all supported by Barnardo’s Cymru.
All customers who donate a gift receive a free festive drink from Starbucks as a thank you.
Leon Esfahani, Managing Director of the Magic Bean Starbucks franchise, said: “We are so proud to be backing this amazing cause for the fourth year. Since 2016 we have collected more than 5,000 presents for children supported by Barnardo’s Cymru and we’re excited to see how many we can donate this year. The response from the public has been fantastic.”
Amy Young, children’s services manager with Barnardo’s Cymru, said: “It is a wonderful idea and has a huge impact on our children, young people and families. The scheme has been running since the end of November and we have already received many donations.
“We don’t want any child to wake up on Christmas morning and receive no gift. Starbucks are helping us make Christmas Day special for everyone and the generosity of customers never fails to amaze us.”
A recent survey revealed that 43% of Barnardo’s frontline staff across the UK are working with children unlikely to receive a single Christmas gift or enjoy a special meal.
Starbucks branches taking part are: Trostre Retail Park, Llanelli; Morfa Retail Park, Swansea; Fabian Way, Swansea; Llansamlet, Swansea; Waterton Retail Park, Bridgend; McArthur Glen, Bridgend; Pencoed; Newport Road, Cardiff andCwmbran Shopping Centre.
