Variety, the Children’s Charity, has received £2,328 to fund specialist equipment for a new interactive sensory room at Friends of Victoria School in Birmingham.

The donation was provided by the Santander Foundation which offers grants to UK registered charities for projects that help disadvantaged people in local communities.

Friends of Victoria School helps and supports 200 disabled children with complex disabilities, both physical and learning difficulties, and their families in the most deprived areas of Birmingham and the Midlands.

The grant will go towards a new interactive Sensory Room which will be filled with soft furnishings and a range of audio visual equipment including fibre optic lights, bubble wall, a sound system, optic carpet, infinity tunnel and a water bed. The room will create a relaxation area for the children whilst allowing them to make choices, and enjoy new experiences.

Charlotte Allen, Regional Fundraising Manager at Variety, the Children's Charity said: "With the support of organisations like the Santander Foundation, Variety can continue supporting sick, disabled and disadvantaged children meaning they have fewer bad days and more good days."

Jacquie Gribben, Customer Service Manager at Santander's Sutton Coldfield branch said: "The Santander Foundation makes hundreds of donations every year to good causes throughout the UK. Our branch is committed to playing a key part in the community and we are delighted to be supporting Variety and hope the donation makes a real difference to local people."

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Note to Editors
In 2015 the Santander Foundation donated £5 million to charities across the UK.


Media Contact
Sarah Webster at Santander                                     Tel: 020 7756 5533
Charlotte Allen at Variety, the Children's Charity      Mob: 07947803088


About Variety, the Children's Charity:
Part of a worldwide charity, Variety, the Children's Charity, was formed in the UK in 1949. Since then, it has raised more than £267 million to help children and young people throughout the country who are sick, disabled or disadvantaged. Variety provides practical help, through a wide range of services, that makes an immediate improvement to the quality of the lives of the children and young people whom it supports.

Further information is available at www.variety.org.uk
or follow Variety on Twitter@VarietyGB and www.facebook.com/VarietyGB


About Santander

The Santander Foundation provides grants to UK registered charities that help disadvantaged people in communities where Santander has a presence. The Community Plus fund provides donations of up to £5,000 to small, local charities nominated by customers, staff and the charities themselves. Our Central Grants programme has grants of up to £10,000 available for education, training and financial capability projects. In 2015, £5 million was donated by the Santander Foundation to charities across the UK. For more information please visit: www.santanderfoundation.org.uk/

Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its 1|2|3 products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. As at 31 December 2015, Santander UK was the most switched to bank, attracting 1 in 4 new retail customers. The bank serves more than 14 million active customers with c. 20,000 employees and operates through 921 branches and 66 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.