Justin Joins WH Smith To Share The Christmas Spirit With Swindon Young Carers

Over 80 young carers from across Swindon descended upon the offices of WH Smith in Greenbridge today to receive a very generous donation of several hundred books from the major retailer.

WH Smith, which has its headquarters in Swindon, took part in the project following a meeting earlier in the year with Justin, who suggested the Young Carers as a fantastic charity to support. The donation comes in addition to the corporate responsibility work that WH Smith does, which has seen over £1.8million invested in the local community over the last year.

Established in 1792 by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in Little Grosvenor Street, London, WH Smith celebrates its 225th anniversary this year. It was the first chain store company in the world, and now has over 1,300 stores in 23 countries, totalling over 3 million square feet of selling space. Worth over £1.6bn and with 14,000 employees around the world, WH Smith is one of the UK’s leading retailers.

The books have been donated to local young carers who look after someone in their family. This may be a parent, brother, sister or other family member who has an illness, physical or learning disability, a mental health problem or misuse of drugs or alcohol. A young carer usually takes on practical and emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult.

This can often put a strain on other areas of their life and can potentially have a detrimental impact on their school work and limit their ability to spend time with friends. This is where Swindon Carers Centre steps in, to provide support and guidance, as well as an opportunity to have a break and enjoy fun activities away from day to day responsibilities.

The young carers were brought to the HQ of WH Smith to receive their books by the specialist support staff in schools who provide additional support to young carers across Swindon’s schools. They were met by members of staff as well as Justin, who was on hand to thank the retailer for supporting such a worthy cause.

The children were completely overjoyed and were all able to take a number of brand new books each. One youngster even exclaimed that it was ‘the best day ever.’

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Young carers not only make an incredible contribution and sacrifice to their loved ones, but they also support their entire communities. I meet with lots of local businesses to press them on the importance of supporting local charities and recognising those who contribute to the community in which they are based, and I am absolutely delighted that WH Smith are leading the way. Their donation today is a way of giving the youngsters a little treat and an acknowledgement of the appreciation and respect that we all have for them.”

Rachel Airey, Head of Children’s Books for WH Smith added, “At WH Smith, we are committed to making a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate. As the UK’s leading bookseller and stationer, promoting literacy is a key priority for us and we are delighted to be supporting the Swindon young carers with a donation of books today.”