A Greater Manchester charity that redistributes donated goods to families facing poverty has received a donation of swimming kits worth £6,000 from Amazon.

The donation of 300 kits was made to The Brick Multibank, an initiative run by Greater Manchester-based charity The Brick that provides essential resources, including household goods, toiletries, and school supplies, to families in need.

50 volunteers from Amazon’s corporate office in Manchester volunteered to pack the kits, which included towels, swim goggles, wash kits, swim clothing and floats. The kits will be distributed to the Wythenshawe Forum, an Everyone Active leisure centre hosting free swimming sessions for children during the summer months.

Chris Curran, from Amazon said:

“We’re proud to support The Brick on this campaign that will ensure children in Wythenshawe can access swimming equipment during the holidays, and hope this donation makes a real difference in the lives of children in our community.”

Keely Dalfen from The Brick added:

“Many children don’t have access to sports facilities or equipment, so we’re incredibly grateful to Amazon for this donation of swimming kits that will ensure children can stay active throughout the summer months.”

Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded the Multibank initiative with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need. ‘Brick-by-Brick’ Multibank opened in Wigan in 2023, with The Brick. The Multibank network has donated more than 8 million surplus goods to over 600,000 families across Greater Manchester, Scotland, Wales, London, Tees Valley and Birmingham. This year, the Multibank will send 1 million orders to families across the UK.

Amazon has supported more than one million students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.

Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people across the UK, and around the world.