OVH apprentices bring Christmas joy to disadvantaged children
Published: 3/1/2025
This past Christmas, our amazing apprentices at One Vision Housing went above and beyond to make sure every child received a special gift. They organised and delivered our very first Christmas Eve boxes, bringing smiles to the faces of many vulnerable children across the Northwest.
Customer Experience Apprentice, Grace Lowe, lead on the appeal, encouraging staff to donate generously. Thanks to their kindness, we were able to support many families in need this past Christmas.
This appeal not only brought joy to our customers but also helped local community centres and charities reach families who needed extra support during the holiday season
Alongside Grace and the team, Housing Apprentice, Cameron Armstrong, assisted in the hand delivery of the 76 boxes. These boxes were created and collected from One Vision Housing, colleagues across The Sovini Group. As well as customers in our schemes and Oxford House, one of our high-rise buildings.
Personalised gifts to bring smiles
Each box was filled with special gifts personal to that child. We identified 9 children in need through our “Fair Access To Services” survey and gave them a special gift to open on Christmas Eve.
In addition, 60 boxes were delivered to Netherton Park Community Centre, along with extra goodies so they could create their own special Christmas boxes for the children they support.
Two boxes went to The Equilibrium NW and five boxes were delivered to Claire House, bringing some Christmas cheer to children spending the holiday in the hospice.
Grace Lowe reflects on a rewarding experience:
It was such an amazing project to lead on! At first, I felt quite out of my comfort zone promoting to all of our staff being a new apprentice but, in the end, I was so happy with myself and so thankful to all of our staff for the donations. Kate and Ann’s support through the project was amazing and I am so thankful for it. It was so heartwarming to see how many Christmases we made that extra bit more magical and exciting. Visiting Claire House and learning about their incredible work was another unforgettable experience.
Empowering Apprentices to make a difference
At One Vision Housing, we encourage apprentices to make real change to real lives. As part of our mission of creating opportunities and changing lives, we presented an opportunity for them to flourish and gain some valuable experience and skills, which made a real difference for the children and families in need during Christmas.
Chloe Ellison, Group Head of Organisational Development, expressed enthusiasm for the development of our apprentices:
Our apprentices brought new ideas and enthusiasm to support local people in our communities. Both Grace and Cameron made a real difference to people’s lives while also growing and learning themselves through the process. It’s amazing to see how both, them and the community, benefitted from this experience.
Interested in becoming our next apprentice?
If you are passionate about making a positive impact, our apprenticeships could be right for you. For more information on the apprenticeships we offer at One Vision Housing and the wider group, contact our Learning and Development team by emailing L&D@sovini.co.uk or call 0300 365 1111.