Staff at NHS Golden Jubilee have once again shown their ‘Spirit of Christmas’ by collecting presents for local disadvantaged children.

Continuing a tradition in Team Jubilee over the past few years of giving back to the local community during the festive season, staff from across the organisation came together to gather gifts for Glasgow’s annual Spirit of Christmas campaign.

The charity organises the Greater Glasgow-wide campaign where individuals and organisations can become ‘Secret Santas’ by donating gifts for children across the region affected by hardship or poverty, who may not wake up on Christmas morning to presents.

The presents are then distributed to children in time for Christmas through local charities and organisations.

The Golden Jubilee collection will go to the West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare, which helps hundreds of families across the district.

Programme Support Officer Laura Morrison, who organises the collection at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “Our colleagues here at NHS Golden Jubilee have been very generous in recent years supporting this wonderful campaign and have done so once again this year.

“As a mother, it is heartbreaking for me to think that some kids will go without a Christmas present or warm clothing at this time of year. We hope our small contribution can help make Christmas a little brighter for some of our local community.”

The charity is looking to provide gift packs, called ‘pledges’, for more than 300 children this year and donations were received from departments and individuals from across the organisation.

Donations included a mix of 45 gifts pledges and additional jackets, reverse advent calendars, toys, books, gifts and toiletries.

Pledges are packages made up of several gifts including selection boxes, soft toys, board games, books, jewellery making kits, pyjamas and warm clothes, jackets, headphones, hair straighteners, make-up, toiletries and vouchers.

West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare Manager, Clair Coyle, said: “It is estimated that 1 in 3 children in Glasgow are living in poverty and face a Christmas without gifts and, in some cases, a hot meal.

“The last 2 years have been especially difficult for families and we are also unfortunately seeing a rise in working families contacting, or being referred to, us through this cost of living crisis.

“A lot of the time there is just no extra money left in budgets for families to enjoy Christmas and for children to have presents and we are very grateful to Golden Jubilee staff who have been very generous in supporting this campaign, which really does spread a little Christmas cheer for hundreds of children across our community.”

For more information on the Glasgow’s Spirit of Christmas campaign and West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare, visit:

·       https://glasgowsspiritofchristmas.org.uk/

·       https://westdunbartonshirecommunityfoodshare.co.uk/

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