Santa’s sack is starting to fill up with gifts

Donations are already rolling in to the Advertiser’s 2018 festive toy appeal.

Our supermarket collection points at Tesco and Asda in Coatbridge and Morrisons in Airdrie are already filling up as generous Monklands residents get behind the sixth annual Christmas campaign.

We are asking generous readers to donate new, unused gifts suitable for children and young people aged from birth to 16 years – and the items are already piling up.

Tesco Coatbridge community champion Elizabeth Wilkie told the Advertiser:“It’s already going really well; we have 100 gifts in our collection trolley so far.

“Our manager, Catrina Laird, has donated quite a lot from the store, and then there’s a large range of items being handed in including stationery, Paw Patrol items and board games.

“There’s a lot of variety in there and I’m pleased with how everything is going so far.

“Our store Christmas tree then went up last week so the toy appeal trolley now goes beside it, and we’re having a sleigh built round about it to attract people even more and encourage even more donations.”

Customers of all ages were also adding donations to the collection points at Asda and Morrisons when Advertiser photographer Tom Dick visited the Monklands supermarkets this week.

Gifts will then be collected by volunteers from charity Spirit Aid and local good cause XACT , who are working with schools, nurseries, community nurses and local organisations Monklands women’s aid, the @ home centre and St Vincent de Paul society to get the presents to deserving local youngsters in time for Christmas day.

Items should be new and in their packaging, with presents suitable for older teens in particular being gratefully received; they can be handed in at the local stores for the next three weeks – until Wednesday, December 12.

The annual appeal has been running since 2013 and in that time, big-hearted Monklands residents, supermarket staff and appeal supporters have donated more than 7000 Christmas gifts.

Gifts galore Staff at Asda Coatbridge say people of all ages have been donating to its collection point