BRINGING CHRISTMAS JOY TO LOCAL REFUGES

STONEHOUSE ROTARY AND KIDSOUT BRING CHRISTMAS JOY TO LOCAL REFUGES

Stonehouse Rotary has teamed up with national children’s charity KidsOut to provide Christmas presents to survivors of domestic violence. Children who are living in refuges across the Stonehouse area will receive a box of brand-new toys and games to enjoy over the upcoming festive period.

Christmas is always tough for families in refuge, with this year set to be harder than usual because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Most children arrive at refuge with only the clothes on their back, restricted to a single room with their mother and siblings. Mothers struggle to provide basic essentials, let alone toys for their children at Christmas.

Thanks to your local support to our fundraising efforts, we will be funding 4 boxes of brand-new toys for known local families, in order to help support children’s mental health and make the world a little kinder. Each box will contain over £80 worth of gender/age appropriate toys designed to promote social and educational development and family bonding. The boxes will be packed by KidsOut and distributed straight to refuge for mothers to give to their children in time for Christmas.

“We are so excited to be teaming up with the local Stonehouse Rotary for our brand-new Christmas Toy Box initiative,” said Sandra Doherty, Head of Children’s Services at KidsOut. “The children we support often have very few possessions of their own and these toys will provide comfort, happiness, and Christmas joy in difficult times.”

The Rotary Christmas Toy Box project is taking place with local groups all over the UK. KidsOut aims to ensure that every child in refuge receives a box of brand-new toys this festive season. Members of the public are invited to help with this and take part in KidsOut’s Giving Tree, the charity’s annual Christmas toy appeal. For more information, please visit www.kidsout.org.uk