A charity is marking the fifth year of its ‘Operation Santa’ as it delivers gifts and hampers to help ease the Christmas burden for disadvantaged families.
Plymouth-based charity Children’s Wishes raises money to buy presents for children in Devon and Cornwall.
The charity said the families who would receive presents could have experienced poverty, terminal illness within the family, or domestic abuse. It has raised more than £20,000 which it said would help more than 600 children this Christmas.
Caroline Wilson, the co-founder and chair trustee of Children’s Wishes, said: “We have seen a huge increase in families without Christmas trees, decorations, presents and food this year.”
Toni Oxley is a mum of four who will receive gifts from Operation Santa this Christmas.
She said: “The kids are growing and needing more clothes and more food and bus fares. Everything is getting higher and higher, but wages aren’t.
“Other parents post photos on social media of the presents they’ve bought.
“Everybody compares themselves to what they see on social media, and that pressure, it’s just not doable.”
Ms Wilson said For children who may be living in poverty, have been part of a family of domestic abuse, terminal illness, any sort of major impact in their life, we just want to give them one Christmas where they don’t have to worry, or their last Christmas is the most amazing Christmas we can possibly make.”
The charity said it had been overwhelmed at how generous people had been.
“If we can make a difference to children in Devon and Cornwall just for one Christmas, then we want to do that,” she said.
More than 100 volunteers and school staff gave up their time to wrap the donated presents, at a ‘big wrap’ event at Plymouth Argyle’s stadium Home Park.
The gifts are being distributed to families ahead of Christmas Day.
Natasha Hall, a Year 9 teacher at Penrice Academy in St Austell, Cornwall, was among those helping wrap gifts.
“There’s 17 disadvantaged students in year nine alone, so lots of students need our support and we’re feeling that need more at Christmas time,” she said.
