Yet again the people of Stirling have shown what they are made of, donating an overwhelming amount of toys and gifts for the Stirling Observer Give A Gift Appeal.
Representatives of charities and good causes were welcomed to the appeal’s main collection day last week.
And the bumper amount of items allowed them to get started on the hard work of helping Santa distribute presents to the children and young people they support.
With the need for their services – and the gifts – never waning, many were both delighted and relieved to have at least some of the pressure lifted.
Observer reporter Kaiya Marjoribanks said: “While in an ideal world there would be no need for this appeal, the reality is that many families are struggling – whether that be for financial reasons, health reasons or through sheer circumstance – and will feel isolated over Christmas.
“It can be very easy for them to think that people around them are oblivious to their struggles.
“For many it’s about knowing that these struggles, whatever they may be, are acknowledged, helping them feel less isolated.
“While in reality there will be people the appeal does not reach, the overwhelming response is a gift in itself – the gift of knowing that they are in a community that cares.
“Give A Gift really is an illustration of the community spirit which exists across the area.”
The appeal is a huge undertaking for the Observer every year, but having use of a local hall was also vital to the logistics.
“A big thank you to all at Stirling Council who made that possible. With the level of donations received it would be impossible without having the space available,” said Kaiya.
“The collection day itself is admittedly quite a daunting experience. It’s a bit like the January sales except thankfully more civilised – and no one has to pay at the end of it!
“The charities and organisations who come along are the ones who do the really hard work and who are supporting children and young people in our communities all year round. We know they will always do everything possible to make things happen at Christmas, but hopefully the appeal also takes some of that pressure off for them.
“Some tell us that for many of the young people they support, the toys from the appeal are the only ones they receive.”
Politicians also embraced the spirit of the appeal, bringing their own gifts along on the day.
Stirling MP, Labour’s Chris Kane, was joined by Lord Provost and Conservative councillor Elaine Watterson and Scott McMurray from the office of Stirling’s MSP, the SNP’s Evelyn Tweed.
Mr Kane said: “What a remarkable appeal this is, it’s an amazing effort which really does help a lot of families at this time of year.
“Thank you to the Stirling Observer for another year of local journalism and to Kaiya and the team for collecting all of these toys, as well as to everyone who has made donations themselves.”
Ms Watterson added: “I’m overwhelmed by the amount of gifts in the hall, it’s just amazing and I’d like to thank the Stirling Observer for organising it and for everyone who has helped make it possible, as well as the charities who will benefit from it.
“To the children receiving the gifts, I hope you enjoy them and I think Santa will be really good to you this year!”
Among the charities and good causes which help to distribute the gifts every year are: Stirling Young Carers; Home-Start Stirling which supports families with young children going through difficult times; Stirling Women’s Aid; Stirling Council social services; HMP Stirling and Glenochil Family Support Hubs; FVRH children’s ward; and Support4Families, which helps families affected by a loved one’s drug or alcohol misuse.
Groups set up by local volunteers and institutions in the Observer circulation area including CRAG (Cowie) and Love in a Box, were also able to receive toys for children and families they support.
The Observer thanks all those who donated or supported the appeal in any way including the network of drop-off points, without whom the appeal would not be possible.
■Our main collection day is over but over the coming days we will still be gathering in remaining donations for those good causes who were unable to attend the event.
Anyone who has not yet donated but would like to do so, can also look out in the Observer and online in the next week for details of how to still donate toys for Stirling families right up until Christmas.
Keep an eye out in forthcoming editions for photos and details of some of the donors and drop-off points who contributed to this year’s appeal.
To see video footage of the haul of donations visit the Stirling Observer Facebook page.