Lochailort couple battle the odds to deliver Christmas

Covid has this year brought about a huge change to everyone’s lives, some more than others.

However, for founders of the Kirsty’s Kids Charity Jan and John Bryden, 2020 brought even more devastation when their Lochailort home and base, which provides respite care for families in desperate need, was all but washed away in a flash flood just before the pandemic hit.

With the help of volunteers from across the country and superhuman effort by Jan and John, work to restore the property started immediately and is still ongoing as they try to accommodate as many families in need as they can.

Despite this added work, the couple decided to bring some

Christmas cheer to families in heartbreaking situations caused by ill health. Enlisting the help of Santa and an elf, Jan and John travelled far and wide making Christmas visits and delivering parcels to more than 150 children and their families who were facing not only serious medical conditions but also great financial hardship, highlighted

Santa and an Elf helped John and Jan Bryden deliver presents to 150 familes not only in Lochaber, but across two countries.

even more during the season.

John said: ‘Working within Covid restrictions, we loaded up the Kirsty’s Kids van and trailer and set off to visit those festive in desperate situations. This has been a terrible year of hardship, even worse for many who are not only coping with serious, often terminal, illness but being left in a hopeless situation by lack of money.

‘Despite all of the work going on to restore our facilities for respite care, we just could not ignore their plight and had to do something to help in whatever way we could.’

Starting on December 19, Jan and John travelled as far as the north of England, then to Inverness, across Lochaber, down to the islands and remote Argyll and Bute, finishing on Christmas Eve in Fort William, visiting families in dire need, yet still bravely doing their best to cope in awful circumstances. All were delighted not only with the gifts from Santa, which for many would be their only

Christmas fare, but also that they had not been forgotten and that someone did care about them.

The Kirsty Bryden Memorial Trust (registered charity number SCO42871) is a no-overheads charity helping to improve the lives of all children, including those who are suffering from serious life limiting illnesses, children with special needs and their siblings.

As a no-overheads charity, every penny goes to the children it helps. Operating on good will and sponsorship, all volunteers are unpaid and use their own private cars and vehicles and pay for their own fuel to attend events.

To donate to the charity via Virgin Money Giving, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ donation-web/charity?charityId=1006528&stop_mobi=yes