Alstom is supporting Teams4U (T4U) with its nationwide shoebox appeal this Christmas, which is providing gifts and essentials to vulnerable children in Moldova.
Staff at the train manufacturer’s historic Litchurch Lane Works in Derby offered the charity space in B shop – one of the site’s vast workshops – where public donations were dropped off, stored, and packed. On Friday 5 December, Alstom staff then volunteered to help load more than 3,000 shoeboxes on to a lorry, before they began their journey to Moldova in time for Christmas.
“T4U’s shoebox appeal is a simple idea that makes a profound difference. I’m proud of our Derby colleagues and partners who collated and sorted donations, and loaded more than 3,000 boxes so they can reach those in need,” said Christine Fernandes, Transformation Director at Alstom.
She added: “Derby has built trains for generations, but our responsibility extends beyond the railway. Hosting T4U in our B shop space and assisting in dispatching the shoeboxes ahead of Christmas reflects the social value we strive to deliver for our city and for communities overseas.”
Beginning in 2012, T4U’s festive campaign provides a shoebox to a vulnerable child or family through schools, nurseries, hospitals and orphanages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. The charity works with in-country partners – such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – to help them identify children that are most in need.
In the UK, donations are collated nationwide, with the Rotary Clubs of Derby andAshbourne assisting more locally to help gather shoeboxes from across the wider county. The shoeboxes are then checked and packed into cartons by a team of Teams4U volunteers.
“It was a privilege to work alongside Alstom staff who welcomed us with open arms and accommodated all our needs. For the first time in many years we were blessed to have access to a warm and secure building with excellent facilities. I hope that the relationship we have formed with Alstom will continue in the future,” said Ade Litherland, Area Co-ordinator for Derby and Derbyshire at Teams4U.
Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works is the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds and tests trains for domestic and export markets. Earlier this year, the train factory hosted The Greatest Gathering, the world’s largest-ever railway festival. Marking 200 years of the modern railway, the event attracted 40,000 railfans from around the world to the city and raised more than £100,000 for good causes across the UK.
Meanwhile, the site is currently manufacturing 10 new nine-car trains for London’s Elizabeth line. Derby South MP, Baggy Shanker, visited the production line when work began in earnest in October, alongside Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport. It was here that Baggy informed the team that the local warehouse normally available to the charity was unavailable this year and would Alstom be able to help.
“This charity appeal shows our city at its best – generous, practical and united. With local partners and volunteers, thousands of shoeboxes are now being delivered to children who need them most in Moldova. My thanks to everyone who donated, packed and loaded shoeboxes at Alstom’s site; your kindness will make a real difference this Christmas,” said Baggy Shanker, Labour MP for Derby South.
Colleagues at Derby Litchurch Lane Works have also supported Revive Healthy Living Centre’s 13th annual Secret Santa initiative. The team have been able to offer 130 presents for families in the north of the city, who would otherwise struggle to provide them for their children.
Elsewhere, staff at the company’s Liverpool and Manchester Traincare Centres have been busy collecting gifts for Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas appeal. Meanwhile, colleagues at Alstom’s Crewe Works have raised £140 for Save the Children UK as part of Christmas Jumper Day.
Image credit: Alstom
