With Love This Christmas

With our local community in mind now more than ever, we have partnered with local action group Transforming Plymouth Together to deliver 200 festive packages to families experiencing hardship this Christmas.

The project will support some of Plymouth's most disadvantaged families and aims to reduce the financial pressures associated with supplying a Christmas dinner for the family.

The parcels, which are currently being produced by members of the Argyle Community Trust team with support from local businesses and fans, will be delivered on 23 December, bearing the message 'With Love This Christmas'.

The packages will include a traditional roast Turkey with all the trimmings, as well as party games, crackers and Christmas puddings.

The idea for the project was generated as a result of the Unify Plymouth scheme, which seeks to improve community cohesion rates in the city.

Transforming Plymouth Together is an organisation that addresses issues related to poverty and inequality in the city. Working with churches and faith groups, the organisation works tirelessly to tackle issues such as poverty, family wellbeing, and the escalating costs of living and housing.

On behalf of Transforming Plymouth Together, Chris Forster said: “At Transforming Plymouth Together we are so pleased and grateful to be working with Argyle.

"We know that Christmas this year is going to be very different and difficult for many families and we are so pleased to be able to offer some extra joy and support to many families. All of this we send ‘With Love this Christmas.’”

Argyle Community Trust CEO Mark Lovell said: "It's been great to be able to work with Chris and his team at Transforming Plymouth Together on this.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have managed to reach out and support as many people as we can, and now we are focusing on providing 200 families with the most positive Christmas experience possible."

The club is now seeking donations and assistance from businesses throughout the city, and beyond – with 50 With Love This Christmas parcels also being delivered into Cornwall. 

The football club has already been supporting the communities amongst the city throughout the pandemic by offering up its brand-new Mayflower Grandstand for use by the NHS for routine antenatal and phlebotomy appointments, in addition working with the Community Trust on a number of projects to tackle loneliness in the city, and improve mental and physical wellbeing.

Argyle CEO Andrew Parkinson said: “As a club with strong Vision and Values, we have felt a civic responsibility to assist our community wherever possible throughout this crisis.

“We are proud of the work that our club has done to support the NHS, and proud of our Community Trust for stepping up to provide much-needed support to those who require it.”

Despite only launching on Tuesday, the project has already generated support from Kier Construction, Wolferstans Solicitors, Morrisons, wholesale catering provider Alliance, and Tamar Fresh - a food supplier to the Pilgrims' first-team.

We are for more contributions from local businesses to source the best-possible ingredients for the packages, and the Argyle Community Trust welcomes any donations, however small, to help families in the city enjoy a memorable Christmas after such a challenging year.

Members of the Green Army can get involved by donating brand new boxed games to the project, which will be enjoyed by families on Christmas Day, and beyond. If you have the capacity to purchse games to contribute to the project, please mail them, or drop them off, to the Manadon Sports & Community Hub, PL5 3JG.

For more information on ways to contribute to the project, please contact the Argyle Community Trust on community@pafc.co.uk, or 01752 562561, ext. 5.

Thank you for your support.