This festive season, our community at Compass have been getting into the Christmas spirit in a variety of different, creative ways!
From charity drives to DIY decorations, to Christmas clothing – we thought we would take a look at just some of the ways our community have been keeping busy in the run up to Christmas.
Toiletries Amnesty for My Sister’s House
We all know that Christmas is as much about giving as it is receiving! In the spirit of giving, the staff at our Rustington Office have been busy organising a Toiletries Drive for local Bognor Regis based charity, My Sister’s House.
My Sister’s House is a charity that provides refuge, support and guidance for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.
Zoe, one of the Compass staff members that coordinated the amnesty, said: ‘I’m sure I’m not the only one who spends the New Year surrounded by Boots 3 for 2 gift sets from aunts and uncles who don’t know me very well.’
‘People fleeing domestic abuse often don’t have time to pack essentials like toothbrushes or soap. This can have a really big impact on their mental and physical health, which is why we set up the collection – to hopefully help someone who needs it.’
Hundreds of items were donated, ranging from body wash, deodorant, gift sets, sanitary products, makeup and much more. Well done Rustington Office!
Make a donation to My Sister’s House.
Mrs Christmas and her DIY Desk Décor
Introducing Mrs Christmas! Diane (nicknamed Mrs Christmas by her fellow team members) is known at Compass for her love of all things festive.
Throughout December, its not uncommon to see Christmas decorations popping up across our offices. There are Christmas trees in meeting rooms, fairy lights on walls, and a variety of colourful tinsel desk décor!
This year, however, Diane took her office Christmas decorations to a whole new level – and built her own beautiful Christmassy house around her desk. She’s also been wearing different Christmas outfits every day since the 1st of December, counting down the days until Christmas, and truly getting the Whitstable office into a festive mood.
Diane and the staff at Whitstable have even joked that in the New Year, they will turn the house into a love shack for Valentines, an Irish pub for St. Patricks Day, an easter egg factory for Easter, a beach hut for summer, and a Haunted House for Halloween. That is, if they can get the planning permission!
Christmas Jumper Day
On the 10th of December, thousands of people across the UK donned their best Christmas jumpers for the annual Christmas Jumper Day! Organised by Save the Children UK, Christmas Jumper Day has been running for 10 years and aims to raise money for vulnerable children in need.
Various Compass offices participated in Christmas Jumper Day this year, raising money for Save the Children UK, and looking fabulous while they did so!
Make a donation to Save the Children UK.
Compass Christmas Card Competition
This December, Compass Community held our annual Christmas Card Competition. Each year, we ask children from across our community to send in their best designs for cards, for the chance to have their design featured on our official Compass Christmas card.
We were completely stunned by the talent and creativity of the entries we received this year – and there were plenty of them. We received hundreds of entries from our Homes, Schools and Fostering placements, which made narrowing down a winner particularly difficult.
With the help of our board members, and a lot of deliberation, we managed to narrow it down to two spectacular winners – JB, age 14, and DMN, age 3. You can also see below one of our special mentions, J S, age 6, whose beautiful snow globe entry wowed the judges.
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who sent us in a card!
These are just a few of the ways that our community have been lifting spirits and getting involved in the festivities this December.
However you are celebrating over the season, Compass wishes you a very Merry Christmas, filled with laughter and joy!
If you think you could make a difference to a child’s life, why not get in touch with us to find out more about fostering.
