Children's centres in county get £4k boost

Customers at the HomeSense store at Northampton’s St James Retail Park were asked to make a donation to Action for Children in exchange for a Christmas bauble, on which they could write a festive message or childhood Christmas memory before hanging it on a special HomeSense Christmas tree in the store.

The ‘Hang a Bauble’ campaign raised funds for the charity’s centres in Kettering and Wellingborough, as well as in Daventry and south Northamptonshire.

Anne Bridgstock, children’s services manager at Action for Children, said: “We’re extremely grateful to HomeSense customers in Northampton for their wonderful support.

“We will put the funds towards budget cooking courses, transport costs and garden equipment for the families we support across the county.”

Suzanne Inch, head of retail for HomeSense, said: “This is the sixth year we’ve partnered with Action for Children on the ‘Hang a Bauble’ campaign and over the Christmas period, 39 HomeSense stores across the UK showed their support for the initiative, raising more than £176,000.

“Thanks to our generous customers and associates, we’ve been able to make an enormous difference to the lives of the vulnerable children and young people that Action for Children supports.”