Staff at a Torquay conference & leisure centre who decided not to buy each other Christmas presents or cards last year have revealed where their money went instead……..buying a flock of sheep and a herd of goats!!

But fear not, because staff at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay are over the moon with their gift because it will help some of the world’s poorest communities make their way out of poverty.
It was back in the autumn that managing director Barry Cole suggested to his staff that instead of buying each other Christmas cards, they should support the World Vision movement through its Alternative Gift Catalogue programme in which companies or individuals can donate money to buy a range of different gifts to help those people in need.

The idea quickly snowballed and now all the monies have come in, Barry has revealed that £171 was raised which is enough to buy a flock of sheep and a herd of goats.

Managers and staff who donated money instead of buying Xmas cards raised £134 – 00; company contributions totalled £20 -75 and a special initiative in which a donation was made for every bottle of champagne sold over the festive period raised a further £16. 25p.

Barry explained: “This is a fabulous effort by everyone at the Riviera Centre. We all know that once we have read our Christmas cards, they are rarely looked at again so we wanted to do something with a much longer benefit. The idea of buying either sheep or goats to help villagers in some far off remote poverty area of Africa was a much more rewarding exercise.

“It is initiatives like the Alternative Gift Catalogue that has made World Vision – which is a Christian charity – one of the world’s leading relief, development and justice agencies. It is also one of the largest and currently helps more than 100 million people in nearly 100 countries in their struggle against poverty, hunger and injustice, irrespective of their religious beliefs.”

Barry is pictured proudly holding the cheque for £171 with Valerie Yeo, the Human Resources and Training Administrator at the Riviera International Centre who is in the process of purchasing the goats through World Vision.