Christmas gifts handed out to those in need in Rugby - thanks to the generosity of local shoppers

Hundreds of Christmas gifts have been handed out to schools and charities in Rugby, thanks to the generosity of local shoppers.

The donations were the result of the Dunelm Rugby’s Delivering Joy campaign, which saw Rugby shoppers purchase gifts for people in need in their local community.

In total, more than 280 gifts have been given to residents at Hope4, Warwickshire County Council Children’s Services, four local schools, a care home, a domestic abuse support hub and a dog rescue.

Dunelm customers and colleagues in Rugby came together to ‘deliver joy’ by fulfilling gift tag requests completed by local community members who needed extra support this festive period.

Customers were able to collect a personalised tag, buy a gift requested by the recipient and return it to the store.

This year, with the cost-of-living crisis hitting home, staff said that rather than toys and games, many people had put winter essentials at the top of their wish lists with items such as hats, scarves, socks, toiletries and festive food items like selection boxes in high-demand.

Jim Gillespie House Care Home was one of the places that received Christmas gifts from the Delivering Joy campaign. Manager Alison Robinson said: “We are incredibly grateful to our local community and to Dunelm for coming together to help individuals in need have the best Christmas possible this year, it means the world to them.”

Aimee Smith, store manager at Dunelm Rugby, said: “With the cost-of-living crisis making Christmas a challenging time for many this year, we’re so pleased with the outcome of our campaign. It’s been a true pleasure to help deliver joy and support those in need again this year.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all our customers who have kindly donated gifts, your generosity is truly inspiring.”

The Delivering Joy campaign extended beyond gifts too, with many customers across Rugby donating pre-loved decorations via Dunelm to find new homes in shelters or care homes that might not have had the funds to provide their own.

For more information on the success of Dunelm’s Delivering Joy campaign, visit: https://www.dunelm.com/info/delivering-joy