Direct Line volunteers support Ipswich charity for homeless people

Local charity, Ipswich Housing Action Group (IHAG), has received a seasonal boost from the combined efforts of Claydon High School and business volunteers from Direct Line in Ipswich.

Last week pupils and staff from the school dropped off 30 festive hampers at IHAG’s Chapman Centre in Ipswich followed a few days later by staff from Direct Line volunteered who spent the day sorting the donations so that they could be easily used.

Claydon High School deputy head Chris Simm said “This is the tenth year we have run this project helping Ipswich Housing Action Group. The work they do is so important and we are proud to help the homeless people they support. The Christmas themed hampers have been built by year 11 pupils as part of art projects and in their own time. The pupils come together and build their hampers then they collect donations of items that the Chapman Centre needs such as food, essential clothing and toiletries which are then placed in the hampers. This activity is one of a number of things we do in our ‘Claydon Countdown’ where we work together on projects that build an understanding of social cohesion and responsibility. We use the hashtag #bethebestyoucanbe and this project, where our pupils, their friends and parents come together, is a really good example of what we are aiming to achieve.”

Claire Moore, team leader at Direct Line told us “This is the second year that we have helped the Chapman Centre. We initially enquired to see if there was anything we could do and they told us helping with sorting the very generous donations from Claydon High School would be perfect. There are literally hundreds of items contained within the hampers and it was taking days for the IHAG team to sort. My team and I are able to sort it all in a day putting items into relevant groups and then making sure that use by dates are clearly written on everything. It is a real treat to see the creativity of the pupils, and I must say a little heart breaking to have to dismantle some of them to get to the items, but for my team this day, that we know makes a difference to a really worthwhile local cause, is quickly becoming an event that marks the start of our Christmas.”

Jools Ramsey, CEO of IHAG commented “We are so grateful to both of these wonderful supporters. It is my first Christmas with the charity and was not prepared in any way for the scale of what Claydon High School creates for us. There are some real works of art and imagination in the hampers they have produced. Direct Line’s volunteer support in sorting the items is really important for us as it means the Chapman Centre team can spend more time directly supporting our clients, which is ultimately what we are all working together to achieve. We look forward to working with both Claydon High School and Direct Line for many more years to come”

If you would like to find out more about the work that Ipswich Housing Action Group does or see how your business could help, please visit the website.