Aston Martin Cheltenham has continued its annual tradition of delivering Christmas cheer to the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, in partnership with the Pied Piper Appeal. This year, an Aston Martin DBX SUV was loaded up to deliver a grotto’s load of presents to young children that would be spending the Christmas period away from home receiving treatment.
The team at Aston Martin Cheltenham packed out the DBX’s cargo area with a range of presents requested by specialists at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital’s children’s ward. The gifts, to be distributed to children across the ward, are selected to be age, sensory and educationally appropriate, and provide something to open over the festive season.
The Pied Piper Appeal, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022, seeks to improve the quality of life, well-being and social development of any sick or disabled child in Gloucestershire by providing local access to quality services, ensuring children and families are supported with everything they need, right on their doorstep.
The Appeal does this through direct funding of the Children’s Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and the supply of equipment to the ward. The Pied Piper Appeal’s foundation in 1992 was dedicated to raising the funds to build a new children’s hospital in Gloucestershire, with the centre at the Gloucestershire Royal opening in 2004. The charity also funds other hospitals in the county, as well as Special Education and Needs (SEND) schools in the community and works to improve children’s experiences at Gloucestershire mental health facilities.
Pied Piper Appeal’s Katy Price, Fundraising and Events, said: “Christmas is such a special time for children, and we always want to do all that we can to ensure they lose none of that magic, even while receiving treatment in hospital. The donation of presents is a generous enough gift, but for Aston Martin Cheltenham to deliver them in such spectacular style is a memorable experience for both our children and our staff. It’s the perfect embodiment of the Christmas spirit.”
