North Devon cardboard company’s early Christmas gift for NHS charity

Cardboard packaging specialists in Barnstaple have worked some Christmas magic to deliver the perfect early gift for Royal Devon Hospitals Charity.

When Smurfit Westrock Atlas (formerly known as Atlas Packaging) heard the charity needed some stands to display Christmas cards at The Royal Devon and Exeter and North Devon District Hospitals, designers headed to the studio to come up with the ideal solution.

The team created a fleet of sturdy stand-alone display units to help the charity sell cards that generate vital funds to enhance local NHS services – at Christmas and all year around.

Above: One of the bespoke Christmas card stands at St Johns Garden Centre in Barnstaple.

The stands will also be used during the festive season at St John’s Garden Centre, which is supporting Royal Devon Hospitals Charity (formerly known as Over and Above) with its Santa band display at its Barnstaple branch.

And they will continue to be used after Christmas at NDDH, the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and at the charity’s two shops in Barnstaple and Westward Ho! to display other greeting cards such as birthday, get well and thank-you cards.

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Andy Keeble at the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity said: “Greetings cards are often bought by hospital visitors and patients to help raise a smile or show gratitude for the excellent care they have received.

“They are also a great way for people to support their local NHS as all profits are used to help the charity to enhance hospital services over and above what’s possible with NHS funding.

“Just like with any shop or sales area, it’s really important to have impactive point-of-sale displays and the team at Smurfit Westrock Atlas have done an incredibly generous job creating these stands for us at no cost to the charity.

“We really appreciate their support and hopefully their Christmas gift to us will be the gift that keeps on giving!”

Above: The Christmas cards are on sale at various locations across Devon including this one at the charity's Rose Lane shop in Barnstaple.

Simone Mace, general manager at Smurfit Westrock Atlas, added: “We are delighted to have gifted these handmade stands to the charity. They look fantastic and will display the charity’s Christmas and other cards in a beautiful way.

“They’re also made from cardboard which is a circular product that is made largely from recycled paper and is 100% recyclable at the end of use.”

The packaging firm operates from three locations in Barnstaple and produces printed cardboard packaging for a range of industries including its famous reusable veg boxes pioneered by Riverford Organic Farmers.

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