Butlin's 'bring a smile to people’s faces’ at Christmas with charitable donations

The Bognor resort closed on Friday just a week after it reopened to visitors. Director Jeremy Pardey said the news left him and his team feeling ‘really sad’ but acknowledged that it was the ‘right thing to do’ to keep visitors and neighbours safe. ‘Instead of being glum like a lot of us feel’, Mr Pardey and his team offered to deliver 6,000 spare Christmas selection boxes, and at least 15 trees, to charitable organisations and other good causes in the town. “I don’t want any money for them,” Mr Pardey said. “They were a gift from Santa for all the children due to visit these festive breaks. It’s lovely as it helped the community. My aim was to put smiles on people’s faces and we have done that. We’ve delivered 6,000 selection boxes so that’s 6,000 people having a good time in my eyes.” Mr Pardey said the feelings of residents in the community were taken into consideration, when the decision was made to close the resort for the rest of the year. Most of all, it’s about keeping our guests, our team and neighbours safe,” he said. “That’s really important to us." Among the good causes to receive selection boxes were; St Marys Church; Chestnut Tree House; St Barnabus Hospice; Ashley care home Liveability; Bognor Fire station; FSM support; Grandads Front Room; L’Arche; Saint Wilfrid’s; Aldersmead care home; Albany House; Bognor War Memorial Hospital; St Richard's Hospital's children ward; NHS Tangmere and Bognor ambulance stations; Chichester Trampoline association; TAO Dragons – Children’s academy, NHS nurses; Dotty Bumble meet ups; Elizabeth House care home; Lloyds Pharmacy; Chichester Gymnastics; Samaritans; Homeland rest home; Time 4 U activities; Appletree care home; Chestnuts day centre, a homeless youth hostel; Chichester Downs Syndrome support group; Arun lodge care home; Aldingbourne Trust;. Middleton on sea scouts; Nightingales care; Summerley care home; Arctic fox explorer scouts; Felpham Colts FC; Woodbine Manor; Alikazam; Stonepillow; NHS District nursing team; Southway nursery; Royal garden care home; Bishop Tufnell school; Portsmouth hospital children's ward; Time for activities; Home Breach care home; UK Harvest; St Wilfrid’s Hospice; Our Lady of Sorrows Church; Woodbine Manor Care Home; Greenways Nursing Home; Tudor House Nursing Home; Cherrington House Nursing Home; Oaklands Court Nursing Home; Abbotts Lawn Nursing Home; Hammonds Nursing Home; Asley House Nursing Home; Arundel Nursing Home; Autumn Lodge Nursing Home and Homebeech Nursing Home. A number of Bognor families, some of which had Christmas breaks cancelled, were also worthy recipients of the donations.