Mum on a mission to make Christmas magical
‘I WANT TO GIVE HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN A REASON TO SMILE’
A LOCAL mum is refusing to let Covid-19 ruin the magic of Christmas.
Disability activist, advocate and blogger Philippa Donegan, known as Pip, is a disabled mum living in Acklam, and she has a special Christmas treat in store for hundreds of Middlesbrough children this December.
While clinically vulnerable children or children with a vulnerable parent, children of low income families or those in foster care might not be able to visit Santa’s grotto, Pip plans to bring Christmas to their doorsteps.
“I sort of just had this dream one night that me and my husband would deliver gifts to children.
“I needed to do something for children who won’t get to see Santa this year, that are clinically vulnerable like myself and aren’t able to go out and partake in other Christmas activities,
PHILIPPA DONEGAN so I wanted to do them,” Pip said.
Pip lives with Ehlers-danlos syndrome, Bechet’s disease and asthma, as well as gastric complications which means she is tube-fed, but she doesn’t let this stop her from helping others.
She started her blog 18 months ago to raise awareness of parents with disabilities and health conditions and she can be found as @pipdisabledmum on social media.
“I use a wheelchair to get around most days and my blood pressure is all over the place,” Pip said, and she was very unwell in September and October, in and out of hospital, having to have 80% of her teeth removed.
But she is determined to make this December special for hundreds of Middlesbrough children, after what has been a difficult and unprecedented few months. Pip said: “2020 has been such a hard year, and this December, coming out of lockdown, I just want to get into the spirit of Christmas and give hundreds of children in my home town a reason to smile.
“Volunteering is such a massive part of my life and can make such a massive difference to our community.
“My dream is to reach 1,000 children by December 24, which would be my biggest volunteer project to date.”
During lockdown, Pip became a trustee of the Teesside Community Action
Group, which was launched
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for
eight months ago as part of the Covid19 mutual aid movement.
“The second lockdown has been so hard for families, especially for clinically vulnerable children.
“During the first lockdown in March, I set up PIPSCO, an accessible food bank that brought, and still brings, food to the doors of families
not able to access a food bank, or families self-isolating with Covid.
“Now the project is in the hands of Tees Valley Together and going from strength to strength, there was room in my life for another project when we went into lockdown number two,” Pip said.
With support from ‘Santa’, also known as her husband John, and a team of 10 voluntary elves, Pip is preparing to give a special Christmas to those in need. But, she says, she wouldn’t be in the position to help without the support of two local charities.
Middlesbrough Reads has provided a book for each child to open and The Teesside Family Foundation (TTFF) has provided funds for wrapping paper, sweets and elf costumes, to make the experience even more magical for the children.
Manager of the National Literacy Trust’s Middlesbrough Reads, Allison Potter said: “Middlesbrough Reads has been promoting the importance of reading and sharing stories across the town for several years.
“We were absolutely delighted when Santa and his team of elves asked if we could donate books for them to deliver to some very special children over the upcoming festive season.
“The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic means that a lot of youngsters may be feel
ing anxious. Hopefully the books will offer them a chance to escape into their imagination and discover a love of reading.
“After all, if Santa is bringing the gift of books, he must think they are really important too!”
Pip hopes to be wrapped and prepared for December 2, when lockdown lifts, for the team of elves and Santa to deliver throughout the festive season.
Her aim was to reach 1,000 children, but with the support of the two partnerships and generous public donations, she will be able to reach many more.
TTFF trustee, Tony Wedlake, said: “The Teesside Family Foundation are very excited to be a part of this amazing Christmas project. The aim is to make this year, even in this pandemic, as magical as possible.
“The children we are surprising are either underprivileged or clinically vulnerable, so they wouldn’t be able to visit Santa. So the foundation, Pip and Middlesbrough Reads will be taking Christmas to them!”
Applications can be made at www. pipdisabledmum.co.uk/freesanta for a free gift delivered by Santa or one of his elves, as Pip has not yet heard from 1,000 Middlesbrough children to surprise.
Pip added: “I’ve worked with both charities in the past, The Teesside Family Foundation paid for my dental bill so I wanted to help them with something this year, without them our dream wouldn’t be a reality.”
Donations can be made at www. pipdisabledmum.co.uk allowing the team to reach even more families.
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I sort of st had this dream one night that me and my husband would deliver gifts to children