IT’S beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Generous shoppers are bringing gifts for youngsters in the borough whose families are struggling.
Their kindness ensures that children who would otherwise go without, will have the excitement of opening a present on Christmas morning.
Giving Trees charity has been helping to make children happy at Christmas for over 20 years.
Special trees in local stores bear gift tags with present requests for children, for shoppers to take and turn into a reality.
Amy Fennell, Fundraising & Communications Officer from Home-Start Wokingham District says: “Christmas is always a particularly hard time for struggling families.
“Many are single parents with low incomes, and additional challenges such as post-natal depression and children who are on the autistic spectrum.
“And of course, the Cost of Living Crisis has made things much, much, tougher.
“Thanks to The Giving Tree, the 70 families that Home-Start currently supports, will each receive a Christmas gift bag with a present for each child and some other festive goodies, kindly donated by local residents and supermarkets.
“For some, these gifts will be the only ones they receive and it will make such a difference for them to know that other people are thinking of them at such a difficult time.
“We are enormously grateful to The Giving Tree and all the local residents who have donated so generously.”
There’s still time to contribute and it’s really easy.
Giving Trees are at the following stores:
Tesco Wokingham (gift voucher tags only)
Tesco Warfield
Tesco Martins Heron
Newbury Building Society, Wokingham
Nirvana Spa, Sindlesham
Wokingham Library
The Sultan restaurant, Wokingham
Sedero Lounge, Wokingham
Louise Jedras, community champion for Tesco Wokingham says: “Gill Mckernan, appeal organiser, and I are very pleased with the number of gift tags that have been picked up.
“Gifts and gift cards are pouring in.
“If you have been kind enough to pick up a tag, please check the return date on it so that the charities can make sure the children they support have a gift ready for Christmas morning.”
Charities collecting presents to distribute to children are:
Barnardo’s
Sebastian’s Action Trust
Look Ahead Care
Berkshire Women’s Aid
Kaleidoscopic UK
Transform Housing
Home Start
Wokingham Young Carers
Dingley’s Promise
The Cow Shed
First Days,
Berkshire Vision
Children With Special Needs Foundation.
To contribute to the gift giving appeal, residents should take a tag from one of the Giving Trees, buy the gift requested on it, and return it, unwrapped, to the same tree.
