Warwickshire’s children's Christmas gift appeal results in 'biggest collection to date' thanks to community

Each year, residents, businesses and organisations donate gifts to ensure that every child has something to open on Christmas Day.

The initiative is led by Warwickshire County Council’s Children and Families Service, and this year more than 1,000 gifts were donated, which the council says is its biggest collection to date.

Warwickshire County Council would like to thank the following contributors:

• Norma Wilson – who, for more than 27 years, has been spreading joy and kindness through her Christmas hamper initiative.
• Warwickshire residents – for their generosity and continued support over the past few years.
• Market Hall Museum staff – for collecting Christmas gifts for Warwickshire Children’s Services.
• Warwick Museum, Eliot Park Innovation Centre, and Kenilworth Library & Information Centre – for hosting drop-off points and gathering gifts.
• Warwickshire County Council staff – for completing a sponsored walk in Wales to raise funds for care-experienced young people.
• Ediblelinks – for providing 100 hampers and gifts to families across Warwickshire, with referrals open to children in need and children in care.
• Telford Junior School – an initiative from the parents, the pupils and the staff of the school.
• Warwickshire Fire Service – help every year with deliveries and ensure hampers are delivered to offices for social workers to give to the families they are supporting.
• OTR Plumbing & Heating Ltd – for organising a Christmas toy drive and rallying their community to support care-experienced children and young people.
• National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society – for their donations.
• Pertemps – for donating 250 selection boxes.
• Evelyn's Gift – donated all the biscuits for the boxes, as well as extra food and treats and children's toys
• Puddles Ducks Leamington – as they do every year, helped with both with food collections for Norma's Hampers and with collecting gifts with parents for the Christmas Gift Drive, along with making their staff secret Santa into collecting for us instead.
• Lush Coventry – for donating more than 300 Lush items, promoting the initiative and collecting gifts from their customers.
• Warwick Tesco – donated 15 selection boxes for the festive drive, and their customers also contributed gifts and toys. A special thank you also goes to one customer who noticed the trolley was running low and purchased more than 50 gifts to top it up.
• Warwick Ladies Netball – donated gifts boxes for Children in Care
• Warwickshire Police – provided £1,000 on gifts for older young people in care, and foster emergency foster carers who may take children in over the Christmas holiday.

• Ben Hardcastle at RS Group PLC Nuneaton – arranged gift bags, some with multiple items and others single gifts, each valued between £18 and £25. In total he donated around £1,000.

Warwickshire County Councillor George Finch, Leader and portfolio holder for children and families, said: “Every year, Warwickshire proves what a caring and connected community it is.

"The generosity shown through our Christmas gift appeal makes a real difference to children who may be facing challenges or uncertainty.

"A small gesture can mean the world to a young person, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who donated, shared the appeal, or helped to spread a little joy this Christmas.”