We cannot thank you enough – every single person who bought a gift or donated an item through our WalesOnline Rhondda Christmas appeal has helped make Christmas dreams come true for hundreds of children. We asked for your help to ensure children wake up to at least one gift on Christmas Day, and hundreds of you did.
Our WalesOnline Christmas appeal asked for toys that we could give to Canolfan Pentre in Rhondda, who will in turn distribute the gifts to families who otherwise would have nothing for Christmas. We asked for new items because for many of those we are helping, it is the only new item they will receive all year. The charity, which has been helping with Christmas gifts for eight years, has never had so many requests for help. They are asked by teachers, schools, care workers and families themselves and every year struggle to find enough gifts to help the most vulnerable.
Last year we teamed up with them and helped give 800 gifts. This year, you blew that amount out of the water and we took around double the number of gifts. You also helped donate food items for hampers, some of which will go to families who would otherwise not be getting a Christmas dinner. They will also be offered to families whose homes were impacted in the flooding linked to Storm Bert.
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People donated food items too to ensure no-one goes hungry over Christmas -Credit:Rob Norman/HayMan Media
There aren’t enough words we can use to explain what a difference the items you bought will make, your generosity was just amazing, especially at a time we know everyone is struggling. When we took the van of gifts to the centre, the staff burst into tears seeing how much you had given. They will now ensure they are distributed in time for Christmas. The food items will help fill the top-up shop, a place people can pop in and buy items at reduced prices eliminating the stigma people feel by accessing a food bank or asking for help. You bought nappies, baby wipes, food, toiletries and more to stock the shelves long after Christmas.
The staff know first hand that so many families go without food over school holidays in particular because the services they rely on close. Without school meals, many children do not get a chance for a hot meal, and after school clubs – like the one at the centre – are also closed.
Hundreds of toys were delivered to Canolfan Pentre thanks to the WalesOnline readers -Credit:Rob Norman/HayMan Media
We cannot thank everyone enough. We’d also like to give some special thank yous to Effective Communication for their generous donation of items from our wishlist, Tro Da Global Health Consultancy, Cardiff for their incredible donation, taxi firm Veezu who funded a van for the drop-off, Rob Norman who drove the van, our colleagues and plenty of others who have asked not to be named, but went above and beyond to ensure this was our biggest appeal yet.
Buffy Williams from Canolfan Pentre, said: “We are totally overwhelmed at the centre, we cannot believe the generosity of the public. These gifts will go to very deserving homes. We’re totally blown away, we can’t believe the amount being delivered again. Thanks to the support of WalesOnline, thankyou very much, and I know the schools in Rhondda will be really appreciative of these donations.
“Every year we worry, we don’t want to leave anyone out, we always make sure we have little bits left over just in case, but this year we won’t have that worry because we’ve got enough for everyone to have a decent Christmas. I’m really just blown away,” she said.