For most of us Christmas is a time of year for celebrating with family and bringing in good cheer! Imagine then how difficult the festive period is for those people, and their families who are spending Christmas giving or receiving palliative care.

The festive season is equally difficult for those who have lost loved ones in active duty in Great Britain’s Armed Forces ,or are caring for injured servicemen and women following a tour of duty.

Plastek UK Ltd in Mansfield decided that they wanted to share their Christmas celebrations in the wider community in the most helpful way possible. To this end, a Plastek Christmas Raffle was organised in conjunction with Christmas Jumper day, and with refreshments for all employees at the Crown Farm Way site in Mansfield. The chosen beneficiaries of the raffle chosen were The John Eastwood Hospice, and Help for Heroes Charities.

The John Eastwood Hospice in Mansfield provides services for patients with advanced cancer and other conditions which need specialist palliative care. Approximately 280 voluntary staff work in several different areas of the Hospice, providing services which would not otherwise be available. In order for such fantastic care to be offered, the hospice needs to raise as much money as possible to meet its many commitments.

Help the Heroes mission is to deliver an enduring national network of support for our Armed Forces’ wounded and their families. It was founded in 2007 to provide direct, practical support fir wounded, injured and sick veterans, servicemen and their families. Regular donations can help to provide a sustained focus on improving the lives of the wounded.

For weeks before the event, the raffle organisers worked tirelessly with Plastek’s suppliers and partners to request prize donations to raffle off at the Christmas Lunch event. The response was truly fantastic, and prizes ranging from Professional Golf Days, Shopping Vouchers, Show Tickets, to Chocolates and Wine came pouring in. Plastek UK itself donated two additional staff holiday, as well as some cash prizes.

The raffle tickets, which were sold exclusively to Plastek staff, made a grand total of GBP 500.00 for the John Eastwood Hospice, and Plastek were delighted to present the cheque to the Hospice Trust Manager.

Pictured below are some of the event organisers handing the £500 cheque to the Hospice’s Trustee, Diane Humphreys.

(left to right), Carl Twigg – Production Manager, Plastek UK, Donna Baker – Food Safety Team Leader, Plastek UK, Mick Shaw General Manager, Plastek UK, Diane Humphreys – Hospice Trust Manager

Above: Staff and volunteers at the Hospice with Plastek representatives and Mick Shaw with Diane Humphreys

Above: Mick Shaw General Manager, Carl Twigg – Production Manager, Plastek UK, Donna Baker – Food Safety Team Leader, Plastek UK, Plastek UK, Steven – Volunteer Help for Heroes

Plastek UK Ltd, who employ approx 150 people at their site in Mansfield were certainly surprised how enthusiastic a response they got from suppliers and employees alike. One of the main organisers, Donna Baker, commented:

“We really appreciate all of the generous donations given to us by our suppliers, and were also astonished at the response from our employees – the tickets sold like hot cakes!”

Carl Twigg also stated “It is always nice to remember others who may not be having such a great time as we are at Christmas, and we felt that this was a perfect way for all employees to get together for a Christmas buffet lunch, win some prizes, as well as making some money for charity!”

Mick Shaw – General Manager added “Plastek is an ethical company, we are still family owned, and we like to think that we can support our local community, not just through the jobs we offer, but in a wider sense, and I am really pleased that we could help in as small way to such a deserving cause.”

Plastek UK Ltd would like to offer special thanks to all of the following for all of their most generous Donations:-

PCE Automation, UPM Conveyors, Senior and Salmon, ABCO, Cromwell Tools, Nottingham Pest Control, Mansfield Refrigeration, Yesss Electrical, Colortronic, IR Waste, C-Tech, Freightport, Jaspers, Promould, Nolan Transport Ferromatik, PMB, Essential, Connect 2 Clean, Ceepac, Biestefeld Petroplas, Shaw Pallets, Elasto, Expeditors, as well as some of our own employees: Angela Booth, Jacky Walton, Donna Baker, Pam Able, Paul Clifford, Carl Twigg, Steven Smith, Sue Chappel.

Based in Mansfield, Plastek UK Ltd is a division of the USA based Plastek Group and is a leading manufacturer of custom injection and blow moulded components for the packaging industry, serving global FMCG businesses in the personal care, household, Food and Beverage, Infant Nutrition, Healthcare & Cosmetics Markets.

For further information on Plastek UK Ltd, please go to www.plastekuk.com