Gifts galore for Highland charity in Christmas appeal
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A CHRISTMAS charity initiative in Inverness has gone beyond expectations according to organisers.
Launched by home furniture retailer Dunelm, which has a store in Inshes, the Giving Tree appeal gives people the opportunity to donate gifts from the shop by picking up an anonymous tag from a Christmas tree.
This year, the Inverness store selected the local charity Connecting Young Carers (CYC) and Isobel Fraser Care Home to benefit from the initiative. It will make this Christmas more cheerful for some of those involved with the organisations, with almost 80 gifts donated so far.
CYC’s development worker Barbara Brown said: “We are delighted to be one of the chosen charities for this wonderful project. Our young carers have faced so many challenges already this year, and we are determined to bring joy to their Christmas.
“We have selected the families most in need for the initiative, but the tags were anonymous. What we have found this year is that many families that normally do not experience poverty are struggling, because a family member has either lost their job or have had their hours cut.
“I think it’s wonderful that so many people are recognising the work of our charity.
“We are delighted with the support from the community for our young carers. This will put a smile on their faces and give them the recognition that what they do is so valuable for their families.
“But we are still in great need of support for the more than 500 young carers we assist in Highland and would appeal to any businesses or individuals able to help out this festive season to get in touch.”
Sarah Burns, Dunelm Inverness employee and organiser of the store’s initiative, said: “The response across all of our stores has been amazing, it has been a great campaign this year.
“Donations don’t have to be anything too expensive, they can just be small things that can be added to other presents too.”
The initiative will be running until December 11, with the final wrapping of the presents on December 13, after which the donations will be handed over to the charity and care home and then delivered to recipients for their Christmas.
"We have selected the families most in need for the initiative, but the tags were anonymous. What we have found this year is that many families that normally do not experience poverty are struggling, because a family member has either lost their job or have had their hours cut.
"I think it's wonderful that so many people are recognising the work of of our charity.
"We are delighted with the support from the community for our young carers. This will put a smile on their faces and give them the recognition that what they do is so valuable for their families.
“But we are still in great need of support for the more than 500 young carers we assist in Highland and would appeal to any businesses or individuals able to help out this festive season to get in touch.”
The store arranged wrapping and safe delivery of the gifts.
The tags have been made available to support young carers who may otherwise not have access to the luxury items at Christmas, often the first type of item to be cut from a family's budget.
