Meet the Renfrewshire duo who are giving up Christmas Day at home to create a magical occasion for young people who are in care.
Lindsay Larmour, from Johnstone, and Hayley Clark, from Bishopton, will be going above and beyond to ensure the young people living at Kibble’s residential homes have a magical day.
Lindsay, who is a child and youth care worker with the Kibble Group, will be enjoying Christmas Day with the young people who receive care at one of the charity’s community-based residential houses.
Explaining it can be a difficult day for children spending Christmas away from their families, Lindsay said: “Striking the balance right at Christmas time can be tricky. This is why the approach to Christmas very much follows the lead of the young people in our care and doesn’t necessarily follow all of the traditional milestones.
“We start the celebrations early in December and like to make sure we make the festive period as magical as we can for the young people of Kibble.
“We have had festive trips to the cinema, shopping trips, trips to the Christmas market and we even made it out to the iconic Irn Bru Carnival.
“My family were long-term foster parents so I have a unique take on what some of these young people will be feeling around the festive period and our roles is to help them process those emotions while also encouraging them to get involved.
“I like to think I am providing a fun, comfortable, relaxing and safe environment for our young people this Christmas. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
“I’m really proud of how the young people have come together this year to embrace the holiday spirit for themselves and for each other.”
Fellow Kibble colleague Hayley is a service manager at one of the charity’s other children’s residential houses in Lochwinnoch and helps care for children between the ages of five and 12.
Hayley has immersed herself and everyone at Firest View in the Christmas spirit since the start of December – with the manager stating that working Christmas Day helps forge stronger relationships with everyone.
She said: “Because of the ages of the young people we are looking after, it’s our job to really bring the magic of Christmas to life.
“The month starts by writing letters to Santa, decorating the tree and generally getting the schools and home festive-ready.
“For me, working Christmas Day is a culmination of all that work and the building of the relationships with the young people and it would feel like a story unfinished not to see them enjoying Christmas Day.
“There is no better feeling of knowing you are making a positive difference in a child’s life no matter how big or small that may be.”
Kibble, which is headquartered in Paisley, supports at-risk children and young people aged five to 26 across the United Kingdom.
Many of the young people it cares for have experienced significant trauma in their lives and Kibble offers dedicated care and support to help them move forward.
This includes residential and community support, as well as dedicated schools and wellbeing services.
Don’t miss the latestRenfrewshire headlines –sign up to our free daily newsletter here