Your donations mean a brighter Christmas

The Stirling Observer Give A Gift Appeal has been helping ensure disadvantaged children and young people have a brighter Christmas for more than a decade.

And charities which support them feel the gifts are about much more than giving them a toy or parcel to unwrap at Christmas.

They are about showing them that others appreciate their difficult circumstances and making them feel less isolated.

The appeal receives and distributes donations of toys and gifts for sick, disabled, needy and disadvantaged children and young people at Christmas.

The aim is to give children new toys and gifts, ranging from babies right up to teenagers. Charities often have particular children in mind to choose for so ideally they should be unwrapped, and if handing in cuddly toys these should ideally be either boxed or still have labels as for health and safety reasons.

Among the charities and good causes which help to distribute the gifts donated every year are Stirling Young Carers; Home-Start Stirling which supports families with young children going through difficult times; Stirling Women’s Aid; Stirling Council social services; PLUS; Stirling Interfaith Community Justice Group, which helps families and children at the Family Help Hubs at Cornton Vale and Glenochil; Support4Families, which supports those affected by a relative’s substance abuse including kinship carers; Barnardo’s; KiDS group for children with Down’s Syndrome; and Forth Valley Royal Hospital children’s ward.

Collected at our offices in Upper Craigs and with the support of a host of drop-off points across the area, the gifts aim to ensure no local child goes without on Christmas morning.

While a number of workplaces and schools are hugely supportive of Give A Gift, individuals also answer the call in their droves, dropping gifts off at various drop-off points.

Observer reporter Kaiya Marjoribanks said:“We are always overwhelmed by the level of support we receive for the Give A Gift Appeal, but in many ways it is no surprise given it is also a way that our readers can show their appreciation for these amazing charities and good causes who work tirelessly all year round to support some of the most vulnerable children in our community.

“There have been some very memorable donations over the years. One in particular was a beautiful brand new tricyle, handed in by grandparents as their grandson had a disability himself and was unable to ride it. They wanted it to go to a good home. One of the charities only recently told us that the home it went to is still making very good use of it and how much it was loved and appreciated.”

DROP-OFF POINTS AROUND THE AREA