Christmas spirit all wrapped up

From the archive, first published Tuesday 5th Dec 2006.

A community group is hoping to make Christmas extra special for residents of an estate.

For the fourth year running the Canterbury Residents' Group in Bradford has put together hampers for 200 households on the estate.

Linda Adams, 53, a full-time volunteer for the group, starts contacting charities in September.

She said: "I had been involved in a similar project in another part of the country and on a council estate like Canterbury, which is in the bottom three per cent of the country of deprived wards. There are a lot of people on benefits."

Mrs Adams said there were around 20 agencies working on the estate from social services to drug teams. She said: "At the end of the day the problems might be family problems but it's the children that suffer."

She and her team of volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that come Christmas Day children on the estate will not only have a present to open but also a gift for their parents too.

Helen Brannan, a volunteer and a previous recipient of a hamper, said that it was little touches like this that help the children feel that they were not missing out on anything.

"If we had bought everything for this year's hampers it would have cost £15,500," she said.

"For some children this will be the only present they get so it is very important to people."

In addition to food and gifts for the children, each hamper contains a set containing a hat, scarf and gloves for children, plus a pair of pyjamas and slipper socks. Donations have already come from St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Bradford Children's Club and the Variety Club. Cullingworth Church is hosting a toy drive later this month and The Prince's Trust students at Buttershaw High School are holding a non-uniform day to make up a further 50 hampers.

Mrs Adams said: "This helps to bring the whole community together. It's about helping out one another. It's worth it for the look on their faces."

The hampers, including 50 halal ones, will be handed out to 200 households on the estate throughout the week before Christmas.

Anyone who wants to give food, presents, crackers or other goods for the hampers should contact Mrs Adams on (01274) 504571.

e-mail: sunita.bhatti@bradford.newsquest.co.uk