Kingsmill has revealed the winners of its first Christmas Community Grant competition, which aims to help retailers engage with their local communities in the run up to Christmas.
The top prize went to Londis Crianlarich Store, Perthshire in Perhshire, which was awarded £2,000 for its Senior citizens Christmas dinner. In a great coup for Scottish local retail, one of the runners up was also Scottish, with Caldercruix Post Office in Lanarkshire, which was awarded £1,000 for the Caldercruix community Christmas Celebrations.
£1,000 was also awarded toTara’s News, Buckinghamshire for its Lets make Downley Christmassy campaign.
A panel of judges, made up of prominent, industry experts and representatives from Allied Bakeries, met at the company’s headquarters to judge the competition entries, which ranged from holding a carol concert to decorations and lights for the local area, and after much deliberation chose an overall winner and two runner-ups.
Mike Bailey, Channels Director, Allied Bakeries said: “Kingsmill understands that retailers can have a huge impact on their local communities, and with Christmas being the single biggest sales opportunity in the calendar, being involved in the community also means engaging with shoppers which can have a positive impact on sales too. We hope that these grants will give the winning retailers an opportunity to build relations with their local area and celebrate the festive season as a community.”
Kishor Patel, Nisa Local, commented: “Christmas is the busiest time of year for local retailers, so getting involved in the community is essential. However, the entries in the Kingsmill’s Christmas Community Grant competition have proved that retailers also genuinely care about their local communities too. The competition entries demonstrated that community engagement doesn’t have to be a big, daunting task – it can be the little efforts that make a big difference to locals, and your business.
Bryan Craig owner of Crianlarich Store entered the competition after local council and grant funding cutbacks meant it wasn’t going to be possible for the Crianlarich community to have their annual Senior Citizens Christmas Party. The £2,000 grant from Kingsmill will go towards this party, which has been a tradition in the community for the past 20 years. The judges awarded top prize to this idea for its multi-generational aspect and the way it brings the whole community, of all ages, together.
Bryansaid: “We are so pleased to be the winner of Kingsmill’s Christmas Community Grant campaign, especially at this time of year. Our local community will be thrilled to be able to attend the Senior Citizens Christmas Party for another year running, which will help bring everyone together during this wonderful time of year – Merry Christmas!”
