Toy and food donations made to local Birmingham charities.
A Solihull-based business is spreading some much-needed Christmas cheer for those who need it most after donating £500 worth of toys and goodies ahead of the festive season to two Birmingham-based charities, Birmingham City Mission and Birmingham Irish.
UVA UK is set to launch its new app-based ride hailing service in Birmingham in early 2021 and has committed to lending a helping hand to local charities and community groups across the areas it operates. As part of these plans, the company has pledged to donate 3% of its overall profits to charities in the UK. The delivery of the Christmas presents to Birmingham City 
Mission and Birmingham Irish marks the start of its long-term charitable commitments.
Each of the charities have received packages stuffed with Christmas presents from UVA, which includes toys, chocolates and clothes. Each set will also include an age-appropriate book to support the newly launched Marcus Rashford Book Club, which aims to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to embrace reading from a young age.
The curated packs, which have been tailored by gender and age range, will be gifted to children and families in the region who need them most and otherwise would not have gifts to open on Christmas morning.
Alongside the toy donation, UVA UK has also donated £180 worth of food to Smethwick Foodbank to support BBC WM’s Adrian Goldberg’s pledge to donate for every West Bromwich Albion goal. This is to ensure no family goes hungry and can enjoy a hearty Christmas dinner together during the festive period.
Ayesha Rees, CEO of UVA UK, said: “No one should go without, especially over Christmas. In a challenging year, it’s vital to give back and support those in our community who need it most. We hope that the donations make the festive period a little brighter for families across Birmingham.
“As a start up business, we knew from the beginning that charity and community would be put at the heart of our operations. Working with organisations such as Birmingham City Mission, Birmingham Irish, Smethwick Food Bank and the The Trussell Trust, who are all doing amazing work for families across the region, marks the start of a long term commitment at UVA UK of giving back to our society and creating a positive impact in our communities.”
Trudy McGroarty at Birmingham Irish Association said: “More families than ever are experiencing financial worries this year. We are extremely grateful to companies like UVA who have donated to our toy appeal to make sure that every child has a new toy to open under their tree on Christmas Day this year.”
