A marketing agency in Hyde is using their sculpture of a rhino for a good cause.
Rhino Group in Hyde has a large white rhino sculpture elevated on their office building on Clarendon Street. The rhino has become quite the feature across the town, often used as a backdrop for photographs.
So popular is the rhino, that the marketing agency has been inundated with numerous requests for personalised messages to be displayed across the front of the sculpture.
Now, Rhino Group is encouraging the public to request personalised messages on their rhino sculpture to encourage donations to a community project.
They have partnered with Sandwich Angels, a local community group based in Hyde, to ask for donations of supermarket vouchers, with a minimum of £20 required, to get your personalised birthday, engagement, or celebration message on the rhino sculpture.
The signage is created, produced and fitted at no additional cost, and Rhino are also matching all donations to ensure fewer local people go hungry.
Sandwich Angels is a group of unpaid volunteers who distribute food parcels to struggling families, the elderly and vulnerable in Hyde and surrounding localities. With no government funding, they rely solely on public donations.
Mariam Aslam-Digger, marketing director at Rhino Group, told the M.E.N.: " The rhino has been on our office building since the business moved to Hyde over 10 years ago. Because the company is called Rhino and we are a marketing agency, it felt pertinent to put something on there to reflect who we are.
" The rhino has become a bit of a landmark in Hyde. If people are asking for directions nearby, the likelihood is they’re going to reference the rhino.
"We’ve always had people take photos of the rhino. Kids love it- it’s quite fun!
"As such, we wanted to harness that power and give back to our local community, especially because that's where most of our staff is from. Believe it or not, we are fully booked for the month of April with personalised messages.
"We try and keep the messages on the rhino for seven days if we can. We are looking forward to heading out with the Sandwich Angels to deliver food parcels and Easter eggs to families, so we'd be happy if anyone wanted to donate Easter eggs if they can."
Now six years old, Sandwich Angels first started off making sandwiches for the homeless. When the pandemic hit, and they couldn't meet as a group, they switched to doing food parcels.
The demand for food parcels has grown for struggling families, the elderly and the vulnerable. The group also supports survivors of domestic violence.
During lockdown, the Sandwich Angels helped around 200 to 220 welfare cases. Sandwich Angels does not describe itself as a charity or a food bank.
The members are all unpaid volunteers who range from retired teachers, nurses, housewives, off duty police and veterans. The group operates seven days a week.
Surviving only on food donations and supermarket vouchers, the group's supplies have dwindled.
Christina Howard, the founder and coordinator of Sandwich Angels, said: "We are not getting any food donations at the moment because everyone’s worried about their energy bills. For the first time, I’ve had to notify families that all case workers can’t do referrals because we have no food supplies.
"We’ve really come to a stop and it’s never happened in the six years that we've been running. So, we are very grateful to Rhino for helping us to feed the local community.
"It is wonderful how the Rhino staff themselves are also involved in helping us deliver food parcels. The supermarket vouchers help us so much- they are essential.
"It means we can buy fresh milk, butter, eggs, greens and fruit, rather than simply tinned food and pasta. That's why Rhino's idea is so ideal- just two of Rhino's vouchers will feed a family for seven days."
To request a personalised message to be displayed on the rhino, send an email to Rhino Group at enquiries@rhinogroup.co.uk and the team will be in touch with availability and details on how to donate.
To donate food vouchers to Sandwich Angels, email them at sandwichangelsappeal@hotmail.com or visit their website here.
READ MORE: The Sandwich Angels who make 3,000 butties a week for the homeless
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