UK Centres Partner with Save the Children

During the year Westfield Stratford City, Westfield London and Westfield Merry Hill held a series of exclusive festive events to raise awareness and funds for Save the Children’s vital work.

The charity, which runs programs to save children’s lives, fight for their rights and help them fulfil their potential, helped 10 million children around the world through its work in 2012.

Save the Children ambassador, the UK Prime Minister’s wife Samantha Cameron, launched the charity’s Christmas partnership with Westfield with a special appearance and book reading at Westfield London.

Mrs Cameron, who became an Ambassador for Save the Children in 2011, visited Westfield London to give a group of children from Larmenier and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, competing in the annual choir competition to raise funds for Save the Children, a special reading of The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. After the reading, Mrs Cameron joined the children in decorating Christmas Baubles that were then sold in aid of Save the Children in the run up to Christmas.

Westfield London, Stratford City and Merry Hill each hosted a series of special events and fund-raising throughout the year, including book readings from renowned authors Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and Michael Morpurgo, as well as secret busking from a number of recording artists, including Gypsy Queens. There were also ice skating events, ‘grotto’ experiences making use of a temporary in-centre installation and special paper Christmas baubles that could be decorated, and sold in aid of the charity.

Collectively the three centres made a very positive contribution to raising awareness of Save the Children and their specific campaigns.