Swansway Group donates gifts to Oldham children this Christmas

A Wood Street Mission volunteer is pictured with some of the Swansway donations

The family-owned Swansway Group has shown its support to families in Oldham with donations of gifts and toys for underprivileged children this Christmas.

Operating as the “Swansway Santa Patrol”, gifts on behalf of Oldham Volkswagen and Motability have been delivered to local charities in a covid-secure way, to try to ensure that every local child has a gift to open on Christmas Day.

Swansway Group is working with Home Start Oldham and The Wood Street Mission, both of which support local families living in poverty.

These organisations will ensure that the gifts will arrive with those children who will really benefit from the gifts this Christmas.

Director David Smyth said of the initiative: “We are very grateful to all our customers for their support over the years, and the Santa Patrol is one way we can give back to the communities where we do business.

"Previously this would have involved a visit from “Santa” and dealership staff to deliver the gifts, but Covid-19 has put a stop to that.

"We weren’t able to send out Easter eggs to our local communities this year, so we were determined to make this Christmas gift-giving happen, in a way that was safe for the children and their families.

"We all know that this year, for so many, the need for family support has never been higher.

"And we were delighted to be able to donate £17,000 across all our partner charities in the North West and Midlands region, as a gift from our family to the families in need.”

Swansway Group has 23 dealerships and one accident repair centre, from Birmingham in the Midlands to Carlisle in the North.

The family dealer group was founded in 2003 by Michael Smyth and is now run by him and his three sons.

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.