The Big Give Christmas Challenge is a national annual fundraising event which offers donors the chance to double the value of their gifts through a two day donation challenge. This December, together with matched giving from the Big Give, generous Birmingham businesses donated over £13,000 towards The REP’s education and community work.

The businesses that took on the challenge were: Barclays, Binding Site, Ellisons, Grosvenor Casinos, Jaguar Landrover, JLT, Just Good Food, Lloyds, Pertemps, Pinsent Masons, Revolver Coop, RBS, SGH Martineau and Wragges. Between them they raised £13,386 and as a result over 260 local school children will get to see a performance of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at The REP this Christmas with some enjoying a special ‘relaxed performance’ specifically tailored for children with severe learning difficulties.

Schools to benefit from the generosity include: Birches Green Infant School, Hillstone Primary, John Newman Catholic School, Mayfield Special School, Nansen Primary, St Matthew’s Primary and Storywood School.

As well as enabling children to enjoy a trip to the theatre this Christmas the money raised is also a huge boost to The REP’s ongoing education and community work and will benefit more young children in the local community through various projects in the new year.

Rachel Cranny, Business Development Officer at The REP said: “The response from the Birmingham business community to our Big Give Christmas appeal has been fantastic and we are delighted to be able to offer this magical experience to children who would otherwise miss out this Christmas. On behalf of everyone involved I would like to say a huge thank you to the businesses who took part in the challenge.”