Generous Residents Ensure Most Successful Year for Palace Presents

Cathy Lowe, who is Head of Fundraising at Beaumond House Hospice, one of the beneficiaries of Palace Presents, said: “This is the third time that patients at Beaumond House have benefited from the incredible generosity of local people through this scheme. The gifts are all beautifully wrapped and we know they are received with incredible gratitude. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the Palace for a wonderful and thoughtful scheme.”

Newark Emmaus Trust were another of the charities helped this year and they said: “This is a fantastic initiative by the Palace Theatre and Newark and Sherwood District Council. We were fortunate enough to be one of the beneficiaries of this scheme both this year and last. The gifts collected make a huge difference to our residents and their children who are always very appreciative of the generosity of the local community and the Christmas spirit being shared.”

This year, Newark Academy were also a recipient as well as providing an additional hub for donation drop-offs. Mr Andrew Athey, Associate School Leader, said: “My team and I went out the other morning with heaps of wonderful and generously donated gifts from Palace Presents - supporting some of the most vulnerable young people in our organisation this Christmas. It was a very humbling experience for us all, but also truly joyous seeing the smiles on our students' faces when passing over the presents. 

“The donated gifts were amazing and showed that a great deal of thought had gone into matching the perfect gifts to the students and suggestions we put forward. Every single student who we put forward as an organisation received a donated gift - this was wonderful, and we are so very thankful!” 

Presents were also delivered to YMCA Newark, HUG – Help Us Grieve, Newark Women’s Aid and Think Children.

Councillor Rhona Holloway, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Visitors at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Every year we are bowled over by the amazing generosity and kindness of our residents who, even with the rising cost of living, have delivered a record-breaking response.

“I want to say a personal thank you too to all of our Council colleagues at the Palace Theatre Newark and to Operations Manager Emma Driffill who is the mastermind behind the scheme. While the Theatre has been putting smiles on faces at their spectacular panto Cinderella, even offering some tickets for free via the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, it’s so wonderful that they have been able to spread that joy outside of the building too, reaching out to people in need with extra special presents to open this Christmas.”