‘Team effort by all’ highlights the community spirit in village
Volunteers helped to organise a host of festive fun for those in need over Christmas
THE village of Endon has been active during the festive season.
Members of the community have been involved in a treasure hunt, organised a visit from Santa, held an outdoor Christmas carol service and supported those in need.
On Saturday, December 19, Endon Well Dressing Committee organised an outdoor socially distanced Christmas Treasure Hunt for children in the village.
More than 75 youngsters participated, and it is hoped that the event will continue for future years. The event was funded by Councillor Joe Porter’s Community Initiative Fund.
Councillor Porter, below, said: “It was nice to spread some festive cheer with our Christmas Treasure Hunt. Thank you to all the children who participated, we hope everyone enjoyed it.”
For the first time in a long while, a team of volunteers came together to bring Santa to the village.
The Endon Park Regeneration Project, led by Janina Barnett, spent many hours organising the project, with help from a number of other volunteers.
Councillor Porter gave
£150 from his district councillor’s Community Initiative Fund to support the project, which showed the very best of community spirit.
The project managed to raise more than £370 on the night for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. An outdoor Christmas carol service was held in the churchyard of Endon St Luke’s Church on Sunday, December 20.
More than 50 local residents gathered together, all socially distanced, to enjoy carols, music and
reflections of Christmas. Local singer Lydia Abbotts led the singing.
During Christmas week, Councillor Porter ran two schemes to ensure that anyone suffering from isolation, loneliness or struggling received food supplies over the festive season.
Through his ‘Food for Endon’ scheme, Christmas dinners along with fruit and vegetable bags were delivered to 33 households in the
community, each with a Christmas card made by schoolchildren at St Luke’s CE Academy.
The meals and bags of food were prepared by the team at Haregate Community Centre in Leek.
Councillor Porter said: “Nobody should feel left behind during the festive season and that’s why, in partnership with others, I was determined to run these schemes to
get help out to those who needed it over Christmas.
“A massive thank you to our team at Haregate Community Centre for supplying the Christmas dinners and food bags, to pupils of St Luke’s CE Academy for the fabulous Christmas cards, and to Endon St Luke’s and Endon Methodist Church for the lovely prayer cards. It was real team effort by all.”