Spreading Christmas cheer across Birmingham

As a Solihull-based business, we are spreading some much-needed Christmas cheer for those who need it most after donating £500 worth of toys and goodies ahead of the festive season to two Birmingham-based charities, Birmingham City Mission and Birmingham Irish.

We are set to launch our new app-based ride-hailing service in Birmingham in early 2021. We have committed to lending a helping hand to local charities and community groups across the areas we will be operating. As part of these plans, UVA UK has pledged to donate 3% of our overall profits to charities in the UK. The delivery of the Christmas presents to Birmingham City Mission and Birmingham Irish marks the start of our long-term charitable commitments.

Each charity has received packages stuffed with Christmas presents from us, including toys, chocolates, and clothes. Each set also includes an age-appropriate book to support the newly launched Marcus Rashford Book Club, which aims to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to embrace reading from a young age.

We have curated and tailored each package by gender and age range, will be gifted to children and families in the region who need them most and otherwise would not have gifts to open on Christmas morning.

Alongside our toy donations, we have also presented £1,000 to The Trussell Trust to support food banks in Birmingham, Exeter, Islington and Wandsworth. We also donated an additional £180 worth of food to Smethwick Foodbank to support BBC WM’s Adrian Goldberg’s pledge to donate for every West Bromwich Albion goal. We hope this ensures no family goes hungry and can enjoy a hearty Christmas dinner together during the festive period.

Ayesha Rees, CEO of UVA UK, said:

“No one should go without, especially over Christmas. In a challenging year, it’s vital to give back and support those in our community who need it most. We hope that the donations make the festive period a little brighter for families across Birmingham.

“As a start-up business, we knew from the beginning that charity and community would be put at the heart of our operations. Working with organisations such as Birmingham City Mission, Birmingham Irish, Smethwick Food Bank and The Trussell Trust, who are all doing amazing work for families across the region, marks the start of a long term commitment at UVA UK of giving back to our society and creating a positive impact in our communities.”

Wes Erpen, Chief Executive of Birmingham City Mission, said:

“We are extremely grateful to companies like UVA who have this year donated toys for our Christmas ‘ToyLink’ project. Every child receives five new gifts, and last year we delivered to 1,550 families representing almost 4,000 children. We would not be able to complete this project without the generosity and kindness of organisations like UVA.”