Warm-hearted science company employees crack out children’s smiles with charity Easter egg donations

Generous employees at a Derbyshire science company have helped children have a cracking Easter after donating to an annual charitable appeal.

Staff at Lubrizol, a science company whose UK Technical Centre is based at Hazelwood near Belper, went out shopping to buy large quantities of Easter eggs in response to an annual appeal from Children First Derby.

The company is one of the biggest corporate supporters of the appeal, which sees Easter eggs being given to hundreds of children supported by its services, who might not otherwise get one.

Louise Webb, fundraising co-ordinator and family support worker for Children First, said: “Donating Easter eggs means a great deal to the hundreds of families we support. Easter and Christmas are such a challenge because parents worry about being able to give their children what their friends at school might have received. Giving an Easter egg means that these children feel included rather than excluded at these times of year.”

Children First Derby runs three services, supporting hundreds of families in the city. They provide a supervised family service for looked after children, creating a safe environment with toys and equipment for families to spend quality time together.

They also provide a Derby City support service for families with children aged from birth 18 years old, helping with a range of issues including behavioural struggles and debt.

The charity also runs a fully confidential mentoring service for children aged from 10 to 18, who are facing challenges at home, in school, or in the community.

The charity also has a Christmas appeal which was supported by Lubrizol employees too.

Louise said: “Lubrizol really helped us with our Christmas boxes. We are lucky to get support from companies like them. We’re so grateful to them for helping us support hundreds of young people in Derby at times of year when things can be hard for those who are struggling.”

Tom Grazier, from Lubrizol’s charities and communities committee, said: “It’s always a pleasure to help Children First Derby with charitable appeals. An Easter egg may not seem like much, but it clearly means the world to families supported by the charity. It’s very important to us to give back to the communities we serve and we are delighted to help with this very important cause.”

Louise said demand for the charity’s services had dramatically increased over the last 18 months, with particular need for help with challenging behaviour, mental health support, and matters related to neurodiversity.

So far the charity has received around 300 Easter eggs for its appeal, but would love to hear from more companies willing to donate any eggs so that all families helped by the charity can benefit.

The Children First Derby Easter Egg appeal is running until the weekend of March 22 and 23. To donate, drop Easter eggs off at the charity’s offices in Leopold Street, or email [email protected] to arrange a collection.