Generous Birmingham workers have played Santa to ensure that homeless people, pensioners facing a bleak winter, and families living with domestic violence have a brighter Christmas.

Employees of Pertemps Employment Alliance have donated £900 to The Salvation Army to buy Christmas presents and provide hot meals for children and adults in need across the city.

The money has been divided between a hostel for homeless men in Snow Hill, a family centre for victims of domestic violence in Erdington, and a drop-in centre for the elderly in Nechells.

It brings the total given to a wide variety of charities and good causes during 2006 by staff at Pertemps Employment Alliance to more than £20,000. Each month, hundreds of the company’s employees voluntarily donate to a Give As You Earn (GAYE) scheme. More than 40 good causes have had donations of hundreds of pounds each in the last 12 months.

Ian Dixon, The Salvation Army’s director for social services in the West Midlands, said: “The Salvation Army is so grateful for this generous donation from Pertemps Employment Alliance, which will help local people in need who would otherwise have little or nothing this Christmas. We help the homeless, the elderly and families at our refuge all year round but at Christmas time we need extra support to provide Christmas presents and hot meals, which is why we’re so thankful to the employees.”