Help Santa give seniors a festive gift

Kind-hearted Kintyre residents are being encouraged to get into the true Christmas spirit by donating goodies to the area's senior citizens this festive season.

 

Pupils from Campbeltown Grammar School (CGS) are working with Mandy Robertson, development worker at youth support group The Hub, and Kintyre Alcohol and Drugs Advisory Service manager Nona Ruesgen to coordinate the 'Santa for seniors' project.

 

They are calling on generous people to donate hats, gloves, scarves, socks, toiletries, fragrance products, sweets, books, tea, coffee, sugar, hot chocolate, biscuits, tinned food and chocolates to create cosy Christmas hampers.

 

The items can be placed in collection boxes in Campbeltown's Co-op and The Original Factory Shop until Saturday, December 18.

 

The campaign was launched last year after a group of CGS students came up with the idea during a leadership class.

 

Mandy and Nona, who both teach lifestyle and personal safety classes at the school and offer one-to-one support for pupils, took the reins and were totally overwhelmed by the community's generosity.

 

And this year's collection boxes are already filling quickly.

 

'Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far,' said Mandy. 'We understand Christmas is supposed to be a happy time for everyone but, sadly, that's not the case as it can be a lonely time for many.

 

'The idea behind the hampers was to bring a bit of joy to those on their own. It's fantastic to see young people wanting to help others; sometimes they don't get the credit they deserve.'

 

They plan to deliver the hampers the week before Christmas and are inviting people to put forward names of anyone they think is deserving of one before then, indicating whether they would prefer one more suited to a man or a woman.

 

'Last year, we found out from care workers how many hampers they needed for their clients and gave the hampers to them to distribute to maintain confidentiality,' said Mandy, 'as well as delivering to people we knew were on their own.'

 

Mandy can be contacted via The Hub's Facebook page, by emailing cyc2008@live.co.uk or by texting or calling 07988 640259.