West Midlands estate and letting agency, Berriman Eaton, wanted to give something back to the communities it operates in, so invited all its staff to take part in a reverse advent calendar.

Every employee was encouraged to volunteer, raise money, or reach out to local groups to see how they could help, with nearly 25 different activities already completed.

This has included more than £5,000 in donations, Directors taking part in sleigh rides to spread Christmas joy and Managing Director, Andy Roberts, preparing meals at Friends of Di’s Kitchen in Wolverhampton.

Caroline Eaton, Director of Berriman Eaton, commented: “The cost-of-living crisis is impacting so many people and we wanted to turn the traditional advent calendar approach on its head, by encouraging our staff to support charities or community groups where they live.

“The response was fantastic with so much money raised and donated to causes, including Together at Christmas (which made sure nobody had to celebrate the festive period alone), Bridgnorth Food Bank, Cash for Kids and West Midlands Air Ambulance.”

She went on to add: “Part of our job is to understand communities, in order to sell and rent homes within them, so it felt right to giving something back. The reverse advent calendar is the latest part of ‘BE in the Community’ story and follows a free printing service we did for parents and children during the pandemic, collection for food banks and our backing of Sponsored Breaks, the latter giving free breaks to people who need it most using specially modified campervan.”