Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury would like to thank their generous shoppers who helped raise over £800 during the festive season for BYHP, a local charity which works with homeless and other disadvantaged young people in Banbury.

This fantastic total was raised through donations made to the Centre’s interactive, teddy bear attraction, installed for the busy Christmas shopping period. The bears delighted shoppers by performing a festive jig whenever donations were placed in the animated display's collection box.

Castle Quay Commercial Manager, Paul Jackson comments: “We are delighted that our dancing bears were able to reach such an incredible total and would like to thank all of our shoppers for their kind donations. It is very important to us to be able to help great local causes and we’re so pleased to make this contribution to help fund the important work carried out by BYHP.”

BYHP Chief Executive, Anna Day explains: “"This news is tremendous and the money will go far in supporting our young people. We’re delighted that Castle Quay has decided to use this opportunity to support such a great local cause, helping young people who need it most.”

Ron Barnett, the organisation’s Chair, adds: “Castle Quay Shopping Centre’s generous donation will make a significant contribution towards the organisation’s future this year as funding from other sources becomes harder to come by.”

Paul Jackson adds: "We are extremely proud of the community work we support throughout the retail calendar. Our shoppers and retailers work hard for the benefit of local charities and causes. You can find out much more about BYHP's great work by visiting their website www.byhp.org.uk – and you can keep up to date on other projects in which we are engaged through our website, www.castlequay.co.uk as well as through 'liking' us on Facebook or following us on Twitter. We are Banbury's shopping centre and are always willing to listen to groups that need help, not just through financial support but often through helping to raise awareness of their cause by providing them with a stage in the Centre to reach close to 200,000 shoppers each week.