Disadvantaged school pupils receive £20,000 donation from Edinburgh business this Christmas

In recent years the financial service has hosted Christmas parties for the school children at a marquee at its Edinburgh Park office.

But due to the ongoing pandemic this will not take place this year, instead each school has received a donation to create their own Christmas festivities or use as they choose.

Instead, Clovenstone Primary School, Colinton Primary School, Granton Primary School, Sighthill Primary School and Balgreen Primary School will each receive much needed cash.

The breakfast clubs were launched in 2007 with the support of Edinburgh City Council to give children a free, healthy and nutritional start to their day.

The clubs also help to improve attendance and concentration, as well as social skills and it helps the children to develop good eating habits early on in life.

Staff at the schools are delighted with the generous cash gift.

Headteacher at Sighthill Primary School Marie Dunn said: “We are so grateful to Aegon for the generous funding donation. We’ve purchased festive Christmas resources, snacks and the Tricky Ricky Magic Show for all pupils to enjoy.

And teachers at Clovenstone Primary School have organised a special winter wonderland for their pupils.

Headteacher at Clovenstone Primary School Jennifer Cairns said: “We’ve used the very kind Christmas gift from our friends at Aegon to ensure, despite current circumstances, Christmas is still magical for our fantastic children.

“Funding has gone to develop a Winter Wonderland in our Courtyard, which each class is visiting for a special treat – like a hot chocolate and a Christmas story – in the three weeks leading up to Christmas.”

The team at Aegon said they know this year has been tough for many families and hopes the additional cash will help make sure all children in Edinburgh have the opportunity to enjoy some festive fun.

CEO at Aegon Mike Holliday-Williams said: “We didn’t want the children to miss out on the festivities, especially during what has been such a tough year for so many.”

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.