Stockport taxi firm thanked for saving Christmas
It was back to school this week, with Christmas having been and gone; and we have a Stockport business to thank for ensuring that one nearby school could celebrate Christmas fully.
Adlington Primary School, near Macclesfield, is part of The Fallibroome Trust.
Every December, the school - with a capacity of 105 - hosts a Christmas get-together for the community.
But last Christmas' event was in jeopardy, after the usual venue became unavailable.
However, a Stockport-based company with offices in Macclesfield helped to save the day.
Macclesfield Nub News went to the village school, just five miles from Central Macclesfield, to find out more.
Steph Swinson, has been Headteacher at Adlington for almost five years.
"Every other year we hold a Christmas Carol Concert," said Steph.
"We have a really small school hall, so in terms of capacity for children performing and to have an audience as well, we have had to use external venues.
"Previously, we have used Adlington Hall, which is now being sold. So Chloe [Chair of Adlington School's parent-teacher associaton] came up with the idea to have a marquee on-site, and it went from there.
"That gave us the opportunity to do everything we wanted to do, to have an outdoor venue for the children, audience and to invite the community down [for a festive get together]."
But to achieve this, funding was required, particularly to pay for a marquee which costs thousands of pounds.
Chloe Rutter, mother of three children at Adlington, is Co-Chair of the parent-teacher association (PTA) there.
"We reached out to loads of local businesses. The problem is, because we are in Adlington, there are not that many local shops or big businesses, and the ones that are are American-owned, so it is really hard to get sponsorship from people," she explained.
"We must have sent out about 100 emails, and of those two businesses replied.
"Lynx Taxis were first to respond. They instantly replied.
"They were really enthusiastic on the email as well, and really wanted to get involved, and very generously donated towards the event."
Lynx, which has offices on Brook Street and Mill Street in Macclesfield, donated £1,000 to Adlington School.
Alderley Edge property development firm The Emerson Group also donated £1,000.
This meant the event could go ahead, with not just one but two performances.
100 people attended for the daytime performance, and 160 in the nighttime. So the good deed of allowing the show to go on had a wide impact.
"The Lynx and Emerson Money went directly towards the marquee hire, which covered that and some of the decorations," said Chloe.
"We also had a festive face painter. We hired some Bethlehem animals in like donkeys and ponies from a local riding school.
"We also paid for a children's craft table, and the Grinch came to visit giving out candycanes.
"But ultimately, without having that base of the marquee, which is what the bulk of the donations were towards, it would not have been able to go ahead. [Particularly as it was raining on the day]."
The event was also partially funded through a community grant of £800, as Adlington invited local care homes to the wintry day out.
Hannah Moss, mum of one child at Adlington (soon to be two), is also Co-Chair of the Adlington Primary PTA.
"We are really grateful for the donation, because without it, it definitely would not have been able to go ahead," said Hannah.
"It was great to get the whole community involved. What was important to us, in seeking help from businesses, is getting a local one to help.
"A lot of parents and the school use Lynx Taxis a lot - and I will start to now - it was important for us to help them in return as a local business."
In return, praise, goodwill and gratitude for Lynx was spread in-person and online by Adlington mums and dads.
Ehsan Shakeri, Lynx Taxis Managing Director is a father himself and lives locally, so informed Macclesfield Nub News that he didn't think twice about the donation.
"It was great to help Adlington secure a new place for their Christmas Carol Concert," said Ehsan.
"It was great to receive an email from them saying how happy they were, and a thank you card from the children.
"We all have children here at Lynx and are a family business, so we all know how important it is to help out at Christmastime."
As the event could go ahead, funds were also raised on the day for the School that will go towards improving their outdoor area, including introducing a sensory play area and fix the trim track trail on the school field.
"On the day, we raised £3,300 in total, and we are going to spend on updating the outdoor areas, building a sensory garden for the children to enjoy," Chloe told.
Steph could not emphasise enough how grateful she was for the support of Adlington's Carol Concert.
"Thank you so much," she said.
"It really was for enabling the importance of the wider community to come and enjoy our festivities, bringing people together.
"It creates a real feelgood factor for both the school and the local community. Without it [the funding], we would not have been able to facilitate that kind of performance."
You can find more about the school on their website, and click HERE to find more about Lynx.
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