YOUNGSTERS at a Barnard Castle primary school answered the call to “deliver joy” to those less fortunate this Christmas by donating a raft of gifts.
For the fourth-year, homewares retailer Dunelm Stores, which has a branch in Darlington, launched its Delivering Joy campaign earlier this month.
Shoppers simply took a pre-written tag from the store’s Christmas tree, that details a much-needed gift tailored to a local anonymous person, refugees and those living in refuges.
Shoppers then returned the appropriate gift before December 11 with the original tag after which it is forwarded to the individual in need.
When St Mary’s RC Primary School teaching assistant Claudia Holywell spotted the gift tree during a shopping trip to the store, she picked up a few tags.
She said: “Dunelm are doing this initiative to deliver joy.
“I saw some of the tags and took a few that I could provide presents for.”
She added: “I thought how good would it be if I could get the whole school involved?”
The school adopted the idea to celebrate the start of Advent and in less than a week staff, pupils and their families twinned the tags with a large number of gifts.
Ms Holywell added: “They have been amazing.
“Some of the children have spent some of their pocket money to buy these gifts. It’s things like selection boxes, toiletries and socks.
“When we asked the children what they hoped to get for Christmas they said things like Xboxes and PlayStations.
“The tags we picked were for things like cosy socks and some people just asked for a candle.
“I think it has made the children, and all of us, realise just how lucky we are. It is beautiful that everyone has been so generous.”
