Staples.co.uk has chosen the winners of its festive craft campaign which it ran in partnership with Reuben’s Retreat
The campaign asked schools and schoolchildren across the UK to get creative and craft something festive to spread cheer and raise awareness of Reuben’s Retreat’s important work supporting families with complexly poorly children and families with child loss.
Winning crafts included reindeer made from a grandparent’s wooden logs, a model Bethlehem made from cardboard and multiple accessories, and a fantastic stencil drawing of a reindeer. All winning entries went on display at Rueben’s Retreat HQ over the festive season.
The winners, which included Alyvia aged 4, from the Federation of North Walsham Infant and Junior School, Richard aged 9, from Cannon Park Primary School, and Emma aged 13, who is home-schooled, all received a £250 voucher of their choice, while the two schools and the charity of Emma’s choice, the CHILDREN Charity, received £1,000 in Staples vouchers.
Andrea, Richard’s mum, said, “A lovely thoughtful competition. It has celebrated some wonderful festive crafts. Richard was so excited to be a winner to meet Scott from Staples and to receive the giant cheque for the school. He also loved the thought of his Reindeers being displayed at Reuben’s Retreat for the children. He got so excited he wrote them a note and put some presents in too. It was such a lovely feel-good competition for Christmas. Thank you, Staples.”
Mr Ray, deputy headteacher of Cannon Park Primary School, said, “Cannon Park Primary School is very proud of the charity work Richard has done and very thankful to the funding from Staples. This will make a big difference to the children at Cannon Park. Thank you!”
Staples spread the festivities even further by asking its customers to follow Reuben’s Retreat on social media in exchange for a chance to win a PlayStation 5 bundle, a family holiday worth £2,500, a European city break worth £1,500, a Merlin annual family pass, BOSE headphones, a Disney bundle including a year of Disney+ and, £100 to spend in Smyths Toy Store every month for a year.
As a result, 57,000 Staples customers got involved and Reuben’s Retreat saw a massive boost in social media followings of 200% and 98% on Instagram and Twitter respectively, allowing them to spread word of their incredible work even further.
Becca Denham, fundraising champion at Reuben’s Retreat, said, “Everyone at Reuben’s Retreat is delighted with the support we continue to receive from the Staples UK team. They have always been great supporters of our charity but in 2021, when our families needed our support more than ever, they really stepped up and it is hugely appreciated.
Our message was heard by millions of people on two major radio stations, and our social media following has really exploded, with our number of Instagram followers doubling thanks to the campaign! The Staples UK team built their entire festive campaign around our charity and we couldn’t be happier with the results. The Staples UK team are and forever will be a huge part of our Reuben’s Retreat family and we couldn’t be more grateful for their kind and compassionate hearts being a part of Reuben’s journey and championing our cause, always.”
Scott Castle, Staples UK marketing manager, said, “Everyone at Staples UK is delighted that we were able to make a positive difference to people’s lives during what has been a difficult time for everyone. It was amazing to meet some very creative children and provide them with well-deserved prizes for themselves and their schools. We are huge supporters of Reuben’s Retreat and the work they do so it was amazing to help raise awareness and increase their social media following so significantly.”
For more information about the great work Reuben’s Retreat does to support families with complexly poorly children and families with child loss, visit, www.reubensretreat.org. The campaign was made possible thanks to the supporting brands – Sharpie, Leitz TruSens, Sellotape and Pritt.
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