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Business leaders from across the North West have been embracing the spirit of Christmas by donating their time and money to helping those less fortunate.

From making sure no one spends Christmas Day alone to donating thousands to a man walking from John O’Groats to Land’s End wearing nothing but speedos for charity, there's been a big effort from companies and bosses in Manchester, Liverpool and further afield to do something selfless this festive season.

Below is BusinessLive's selection from across the North West:

Three Salford Quays firms donate scores of gifts to children in need

Scores of children in need have received gifts thanks to the generosity of staff at three Salford Quays companies.

More than 100 items were donated to a Christmas appeal by the Wood Street Mission charity by colleagues at fund management and corporate advisory business Infinity Asset Management, property sales, lettings and management agency Beyond Residential and Buzz Property Maintenance, which are all part of the Infinity group of companies.

Wood Street Mission, which is in its 150th year, helps children and families in need across Manchester and Salford.

The charity has a Christmas shop where parents and carers can pick presents for children aged up to 14.

Infinity, Beyond and Buzz Property Maintenance staff donated a variety of toys, from stocking fillers to larger items, along with selection boxes, clothes, footballs, baby walkers and make-up.

Landlords of developments managed by Beyond Residential and tenants also weighed in with gifts and cash donations.

Infinity partner Sarah Butler said: “Wood Street Mission is a fantastic charity and we were delighted to support its Christmas appeal.

“We hope that the generosity of our staff, the landlords and tenants who kindly donated cash and gifts will help make Christmas special for local youngsters whose families are struggling to make ends meet.”

If you know any firms or bosses who have made kind gestures this Christmas that we may have missed, please email tom.houghton@reachplc.com

'Speedo Mick' presented with £3k cheque by Scouse business leader

A Liverpool businessman presented ‘Speedo Mick’ with a £3,000 cheque at the foot of Ben Nevis last week. 

Gary Fredson, chief executive of Merseyside-based ESE Energy Group, and his colleague Rob Molloy, made the 14-hour round Christmas trip from Liverpool to give their support to Mick Cullen who is 10 days into a mammoth 1,000 mile walk in aid of his charity ‘Leave the Light On’ - an organisation which helps people in Liverpool who are feeling lonely and isolated.

Walking from John O’Groats to Land’s End, ‘Speedo Mick’ has already raised over £14,000.

The charity walk will finish in February after 7 weeks on the road with Speedo Mick wearing nothing but a pair of speedos for the entire journey. 

Mr Fredson reached out to Speedo Mick to offer his help after employees at ESE Energy in Hunts Cross noticed Mick’s fundraising challenge on social media. 

Manchester law firm's charitable donations

Three local charities in Manchester are set to receive an equal share of £3,000 this Christmas, as part of a Manchester law firm’s tradition of relieving poverty and suffering during the festive season.

Contact; akt (formerly Albert Kennedy Trust) and Wood Street Mission will each receive £1,000 as a share of the £39,000 set aside for charities by the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation (IMCF)

A charity that has donated more than £2 million to good causes since it was established in 1997, the IMCF has a tradition of allowing Irwin Mitchell regional offices to nominate local charities they wish to see receive a special Christmas donation.

In 2018, £13,000 was donated to homeless charities by the IMCF and with the amount tripled for 2019 three local charities were chosen for support by Irwin Mitchell Manchester office staff.

Nominated by Zoe Donohue, Wood Street Mission has been helping children and families in Salford and Manchester on low incomes since 1869. While they run a number of initiatives throughout the year, their Christmas appeal remains their busiest time of the year.

Contact has been providing a hostel as a home for vulnerable young homeless women aged 16-19 in the Manchester area since 1970.

The third charity receiving £1,000 is national LGBT youth homelessness charity, akt. Nominated by Nathan Lloyd, the charity was set up in Manchester in 1989 by former foster carer Cath Hall, and in 30 years, has provided over 250,000 nights off the street and supported over 50,000 LGBT young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

No one in this seaside town will spend Christmas Day alone

One man in New Brighton is determined to ensure everyone has company on Christmas Day, and can enjoy the festive community spirit.

This year, businessman Daniel Davies is opening up his pub, The James Atherton on Victoria Road, to anyone in   who would otherwise be spending the special day alone.

 will be open from midday to midnight on Christmas Day, and Mr Davies has also hired three taxis for the day to make sure everyone in the seaside town can get to his pub if they want to.

Mr Davies, the chief executive of Rockpoint Leisure, the firm trying to  regenerate New Brighton’s  Victoria Quarter, : “Three or four weeks ago I spoke to this old guy in The James Atherton. He was standing alone at the end of the bar and I asked him what he’s doing on  ���ٲ���.

“He said he can’t get anywhere to see his family because the buses are off, he was going to spend the day alone.

“There must be lots like him, people who have lost partners etc and will spend Christmas alone.”

Infrastructure firm in 150th year donates £1,000 worth of toys

Toys worth more than £1,000 will be enjoyed by children from Manchester families this Christmas thanks to kind-hearted workers.

The gifts were donated by infrastructure company Story Contracting and the team from its Chorley office to Wood Street Mission, which provides Christmas presents for children who are most in need across Manchester and Salford.

The charity is celebrating its 150th anniversary and has run the Christmas toy appeal since its launch in 1869.

The gifts were for ages 0-14 and included soft toys, board games and electronics. Wood Street manager Des Lynch said the support from businesses like Story was fantastic.

CEO Jason Butterworth added: “Christmas can be a joyful time of year for most of us but for those who are struggling or having a difficult time, it can be extremely challenging - especially to be without a home during the bitterly cold winter months.

“As a business, Story Contracting endeavours to be a good neighbour and we understand the importance of taking the time to give something back to the communities of which we are a part."

AO.com staff deliver Christmas surprise

With Christmas just around the corner, James Matthews from Essex, wanted to surprise his daughter with an early Christmas present, a laptop that she can use for her university work whilst she’s at home caring for her mum and dad.

James’s daughter, Hannah Matthews is currently attending Southend University studying for a degree in 3D animation.

James has sadly been suffering with Cardiovascular Disease, meaning he is now unable to work, and her mum is disabled. Hannah spends half of her week back at home caring for her parents, in between attending university.

James knew that Hannah was in desperate need of a laptop so she can continue with her studies when she is at home. However, James was unable to afford the super powerful laptop Hannah needs for her studies, even a second-hand model was out of his reach. As a last resort, James decided to get in touch with   to ask if they could donate a laptop to Hannah to support her studies.

After hearing about Hannah’s story, the team at online electricals firm AO.com said they were touched, so wanted to make sure James could give Hannah the Christmas gift she deserved.

The firm, founded in Bolton, arranged a special delivery for Hannah, bringing her a new laptop and organising a day’s work experience with their expert 3D modelling team in the new year in Manchester.

The final surprise was a Christmas hamper for James, filled to the brim with a range of items that are good for the heart.

Hannah said: “I love both my parents so much and I can’t believe they’ve managed to do this, and a massive thank you to AO as well, I’m dead chuffed. When the green van pulled up outside I didn’t have a clue what was going on! I’m over the moon, and I can’t wait to spend a day with AO in Manchester learning from their 3D modelling experts, it’ll be great for my course.”

If you know any businesses or business leaders who have made kind gestures this Christmas that we may have missed, please email tom.houghton@reachplc.com