Help spread some Christmas happiness
Schools and workplaces join in appeal
People right across the Stirling area are joining in the effort to give sick, disabled, needy and disadvantaged children and young people a better Christmas.
Croftamie Nursery and Gargunnock Primary School are among those who are organising their own collections for the Stirling Observer’s Give A Gift Appeal, now in its 10th year.
And Callander Primary School has also offered to act as one of the local drop off points for gifts from their community.
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, the local organisation which provides social opportunities for children and young people with disabilities; Stirling Interfaith Community Justice Group, which helps families and children at the Family Help Hubs at Cornton Vale and Glenochil; and foodbank charity Start-Up Stirling.
For many of those helped by the charities, Christmas is often a particularly difficult time.
Jessica Lindohf, manager of Stirling and District Women’s Aid, said: “It is hard to believe we are fast approaching Christmas once again.
“With Christmas also comes a difficult time of year for many of the women and children we are working with and supporting. This time is often difficult for women and children fleeing domestic abuse as they often have had to leave their homes, belongings and toys to move into temporary housing, or into our refuge.
“We work with women and children in our refuge but also support women and children through our outreach services.
“To enable us to provide Santa sacks and hampers for the families and have a Christmas party for those in refuge we rely on support through donations and gifts, which we are most grateful for.”
Collected at our offices in Upper Craigs and with the support of a host of dropoff points across the area, the gifts aim to ensure no local child goes without on Christmas morning and that those children and their families going through difficult times know their community has them in their thoughts.
The appeal also exists to ease the pressure many of the charities face over the festive season and allow them to put resources they may otherwise have had to use for gifts into their other areas of good work.
If you would like to organise a collection of gifts for the appeal via your business, workplace, school or group, would like to be one of our official drop off points or would simply like more information, contact the Stirling Observer by phone on 01786 451110 or 459417 or email news@stirlingobserver. co.uk or kaiya.marjoribanks@ trinitymirror.com.
Drop off points can be found at: STIRLING: Stirling Observer, 34 Upper Craigs (open Mon-Fri 9am-1pm); Nationwide Building Society, Port Street; CodeBase Stirling, 8-10 Corn Exchange Road; BALFRON: Balfron Library; BANNOCKBURN: Bannockburn Post Office; CALLANDER: Callander Primary School;DUNBLANE: Beech Tree Cafe, 2 Beech Road; Dunblane Centre, Stirling Road.