Mother-of-two to run every day in December to raise money for community charity

Helen McHugh pictured Christmas Day 2020
Image credit: Helen McHugh

A mother-of-two is braving the cold for a second year in a row, running every day of December to raise money for Salford-based Oasis Community Hub and its Christmas hamper campaign.

Energetic fundraiser Helen McHugh said: “We are doing really well even before I started running. We’ve got 68% of the target so it’s going really well and will hopefully provide some local families with a nice hamper for Christmas.

“We are starting to help out 25 families… each parcel or package costs around £40 to put together. We put a fundraising target of £750 but I see that very much as a start.”

A Crowdfunder has been set up to raise money for the hub’s campaign to provide 25 Christmas hampers to Salford families who may be struggling throughout this festive period.

The Oasis Community Hub MediaCityUK works alongside The Oasis Academy, local families, and people delivering a variety of community projects including the Christmas Hamper Campaign.

Hannah Miller, Hub lead at the Oasis Community Hub, said: “We do lot of work really try to empower the community, provide activities that will help and support and fulfil any gaps or needs that the community has.

“We are all rooting for her. We are all really proud of what she is doing and really impressed with what she is doing… she is doing an amazing thing and we are really thankful for her support.”

McHugh also works for TalkTalk- headquartered in Salford, which contributes a lot to the organisation particularly during the festive period.

She said: “They are a very, very small charity with a small team and would be quite a nice thing to do to motivate me but also help them out.”

The team will also be doing a gift collection alongside the Crowdfunder for people to donate to families in need.

Considering the recent pandemic McHugh said: “It brought a lot of hardship in many different ways, not just financial and if we can help people by giving them a lift in their mood as well as giving them something physical in their hands, they can also enjoy Christmas time like the rest of us do.

“For me the run will be raising that hard money to support those families.”

And Ms Miller urged: “If anyone is in the area and has anything to donate, please do get in touch with the hub we will make sure we are able to take delivery of any donations you can give.”