Community rallies round Rugby girl as she delivers 150 Christmas parcels to show elderly residents they are not forgotten

Lexie has been overwhelmed by the generosity of Rugbeians
Lexie out shopping for supplies for the gift boxes.Lexie out shopping for supplies for the gift boxes.
Lexie out shopping for supplies for the gift boxes.

A Rugby girl who made it her mission to show lonely older residents that they are not forgotten this Christmas has delivered 150 boxes full of goodies.

11-year-old Lexie Watkins was inspired to help out when her school, Rugby Free Secondary, started a collection for the town’s foodbank.

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Mum Angela explained: “Lexie brought some donations to school for the foodbank and she quickly decided she wanted to do something at home as well.

“She wanted to help the elderly who are going to be lonely over Christmas.”

With Angela’s help, Lexie put out an appeal online for residents to buy items from an Amazon wishlist – allowing gift boxes to be put together and delivered to elderly residents.

Lexie has quite a history of generosity in the community, and was featured on the Advertiser’s front page last Christmas for her efforts, but even she was left shocked by the community’s response.

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Fairly quickly, kind-hearted Rugbeians had ordered 300 items for Lexie to use in the gift boxes.

Angela said: “It got to the point where we’d get home and the front step would be full of parcels.”

The project continued to gather pace, with many more coming forward to help.

“We even had four members of staff buy items in the shop to give to the appeal,” Angela said.

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Then, on Christmas Eve Lexie set about delivering 150 of the gift boxes to elderly residents across the town.

Angela said Lexie has been taken aback by the sheer scale of support her project received – adding that it is a testament to kindness of the town.

She said: “It’s been overwhelming for the family. Lexie could not have done any of this if it weren’t for the community coming together to help.

“We’ve been so blessed to know that people are so lovely. It’s shocked us all.

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“Lexie has always been the sort of person to help others – that’s just Lexie – she’s always been like that.

“If one of her friends goes to school without a lunch she’ll come home and say, ‘can I bring some extra food for them in tomorrow’.

“If she sees a homeless person in the street she’ll ask if she can use her pocket money to buy them something to eat.”

Good deeds have become a family effort, with Lexie’s teenage brother Tyrun lnending a helping hand wrapping presents for gift boxes and joining Lexie and Angela in visiting the Benn

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Partnership Centre on Christmas Day to deliver 45 presents for some of the town’s most vulnerable residents.

Angela said she is immensely proud of the pair’s efforts.

You can follow all of Lexie’s community work by visiting www.facebook.com/LexiesLittleLuxuries3.

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