Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Family does its bit for those less fortunate
A kind and caring Coatbridge family sprang into action to help the hungry, homeless and fun-loving youngsters over the festive period.
Brilliant brothers Liam and Ciaran Mchugh, along with their dad Arthur and younger sister Caoimhe, wanted to do “their very best” to support “people in need and the community”.
And they did just that with a trio of terrific, generous activities to warm hearts this winter.
The family first organised a Santa
Day in the Sunnyside Suite of their home town’s Segton Bar. More than 150 children turned up to meet Santa and take home a few extra presents.
Arthur told the Advertiser: “The intention was to hold a Christmas party for kids who are from deprived areas and others who may have never had the chance to meet Santa before.
“But the restrictions introduced in the week leading up to the event were a game changer, so instead of Santa party, we just held a grotto.
“Children could come along and meet Santa, with every each child treated to snacks, a gift and a selection box. On the day we had over 150 kids turning up and it was a fantastic experience for them.
“We also did 30 home Santa visits for children who didn’t want to risk coming out. Everything we did was free of charge, which was made possible by donations from kind contributors.”
The marvellous Mchughs then did their best impressions of Father Christmas by handing out more than 300 selection boxes to lucky kids in local schools, nurseries and community groups, which was again made possible by donations from caring family, friends and businesses.
Finally, for the third year running, the family visited the homeless shelter at The Gallowgate in Glasgow to deliver food, toiletries and clothing to every resident in the 52-bed facility.
Not even Covid could stop Liam, 13, and Ciaran, 12, from taking on another festive-flavoured task to benefit people in need.
Proud dad Arthur said: “We again managed to take along enough items to provide for every resident in the shelter, which made the boys and Caoimhe very happy.
“This would never have been possible without kind donations from family members, friends, Mortons Rolls and Asda Coatbridge.
“Liam, Ciaran and Caoimhe were involved in everything we did and I also had great help and support from Brian at Ellis Decor. Together we were all able to bring some festive joy to people less fortunate than ourselves.
“Liam and Ciaran did a tremendous volume of work and Caoimhe loved helping them out. We are so proud of all three of them for all of their hard work.”