Rozzy from our Holyhead Local Conversations Team has been working very hard to ensure there is a plan in place for families struggling this Christmas.
As we all know, Covid has had a significant financial impact and there will be many more families than usual suffering hardship this year. Rozzy has been working with the Isle of Anglesey County Council and three projects have been put in place in collaboration with other organisations. The projects include a Christmas Toy Appeal, Christmas Food Hampers, and Christmas Cheer (Santa driving around villages, school competitions etc). Rozzy is leading on the Christmas Toy Appeal to ensure there is a way for every child on the island, whose parents are struggling, to receive a gift on Christmas Day.
There will be referrals in place for each family who signs up for Universal Credit between now and Christmas to automatically receive a food hamper and a gift for their children, as well as those families who have suffered loss of employment or self-employment. Children’s services have also identified over 300 children at risk this year of not receiving a gift for a variety of reasons (these do not include looked after children as there is funding put aside for these children also).
There are various donation drop-off points across the island, including Morrisons in Holyhead which Rozzy has co-ordinated, and The Hive 61 Market Street, where Steph and Rozzy from the Local Conversations team are based.
Steph and Rozzy are asking people to donate gifts for girls and boys of all ages 0-18. These gifts need to be new and unwrapped for us to ensure the right gift goes to the right child. Parents will be provided with wrapping paper and sellotape; this way they are still able to wrap a gift for their child and are also able to see what the gift is; this gift may very sadly be all their child receives from Santa.
Parents will be given the option of discreet delivery of these gifts with their food hamper, or discreet collection from a variety of locations across the island (Millbank Community Centre will be used in Holyhead). The estimate date of this is the 16th of December.
Comments