THE Mayor of Basildon's charity appeal trust has launched a festive appeal to help raise funds for those who have missed out on Christmas shifts this year.

With the town Basildon under Tier 4 restrictions, many casual workers across a number of local businesses have been badly affected by closures over the festive period.

The COVID-19 crisis has meant that thousands of jobs are at risk from the closure of many businesses across Basildon. Staff have also suffered from a loss of supplementary income they could have received from tips and footfall during the festive period, which is historically the busiest time of the year for many sectors.

Mayor Cllr David Burton-Sampson, said: "Many of our local businesses have invested so much to make their venues safe and compliant, but unfortunately are now in one of the worst hit sectors. Please help us show support for those casual staff and others that we would normally tip at this time of year.

"These casual workers are not entitled to other COVID-19 support grants and so we really want to give them a hand and spread a little festive spirit, in what has been a difficult year for everyone.

"All of the funds raised on this donation page will go to helping local staff who live within the Basildon borough at a time when they really need it."

Funds raised via the Mayor's Charity Appeal Trust webpage will go towards helping local staff across Basildon during a time of financial hardship. The scheme will be administered by Basildon Borough Council through an application process.

You can add your donation to the appeal [L]https://www.basildon.gov.uk/keepthelightson [L+]here.[>l]