Read thank you letters to Mother Christmas for 'overwhelming generosity' shown to Northamptonshire's children in need

There may be a cost of living crisis and spiralling inflation but Northamptonshire residents didn’t cut back on their generosity to the most needy at Christmas.

Thanks to Jeanette Walsh, aka Mother Christmas, thousands of children across the county had a very merry festive season after residents selflessly donated gifts.

Gift appeal organiser Jeanette has been receiving heart-warming thank you letters from the teams that distributed the thousands of items to the most disadvantaged.

From children separated from parents to those in care, babies to teenagers, youngsters have been allowed to feel the happiness of opening gifts.

Jeanette said: “What can I say other than ‘wow’! I really thought this year was going to be tough, especially with lots of people struggling financially, however you never let me down due to your overwhelming generosity. This year’s Christmas appeal has been absolutely fantastic.

"With the help from the Northants Telegraph, the Chronicle & Echo the Daventry Express, we have yet again been blessed with many fabulous donations of gifts, toiletries, gift vouchers, food hampers and lots of toys, as well as monetary donations to help our disadvantaged families and our teenagers, enjoy Christmas.

“I’d like to say a very big and sincere thank you to all my little Christmas helpers based in and around Northamptonshire, who have very generously offered their time, practical assistance and/or financial support in contributing to this year’s appeal. On behalf of the children, families and young people living in our county, thank you.”

Gifts were distributed to Jeanette’s colleagues working within Children and Young Peoples Services covering the areas of Corby, Daventry, Kettering, Northampton, Wellingborough and Rushden. Due to the generosity teams covering care leavers, special guardianship, children in care, looked-after children, children’s homes and early help teams all benefited.

She has received dozens of messages thanking her – and you – for the gifts. Here are just some:

"One family has had to go into temporary housing and has lost all of their belongings including the children’s toys and things and so your gifts will mean a lot to families like these. Although to some they are only toys and presents that may be trivial or the normality for many, you will really have made not only their Christmas but each day for them a little bit brighter and fulfilling.”

“On behalf of my families, I would like to say a grateful thanks for the presents that I have been able to gift the children on your behalf. With the rapid increase in the costs of fuel, and parents having to choose how to prioritise, Christmas presents mean that parents either go into debt, or children go without the little extras that mean so much to a child.”

“I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the gifts you have donated. I have taken a few to one of my families who were evicted from their accommodation last week, they literally have nothing and are now in temporary accommodation. Mum was over the moon with the presents.”

“I personally delivered some of the presents to a family that are in need and the two children were very happy to receive the presents. This has made a great difference in their Christmas as they felt they are valued.”

“One family I am working with, the child has been very poorly and was hospitalised and was fortunate to be discharged Christmas Eve. His mum said ‘I don’t know what I would have done for presents for the children, money is tight and was waiting to get paid so I could buy them a few things, with my child in hospital I wasn’t able to go shopping and had even less money to buy them gifts, thank you’.”

“One of my families sent me a message a few days before Christmas saying she was really struggling with being able to afford gifts for her children and worried that they would have nothing to open on Christmas Day. Mum called me the next day in tears, saying how grateful she was for the toys, they were so appropriate for the children.”

“I spoke to mum after Christmas and she told me that seeing the children’s faces on Christmas day was a joy, she doesn’t know what she would have done without the donation. One of the gifts was a board game which the children and mum enjoy playing together, mum says this is unusual because the children do not normally spend much time in each other’s company. These gifts certainly made her Christmas and alleviated a huge amount of stress for mum.”

“I just want to say how grateful and how much I appreciate all your support and help over Christmas. I have two small children that have been through a lot in their little lives and I am a single parent. One has ADHD who struggles on a daily basis and the other has been in and out of hospital over the last two years. Life is stressful enough trying to just deal with everything on my own with minimal support network.”

“I work part time but I just do not earn enough money compared to all of my outgoings. I'm struggling each and everyday with my mental health and the worry of trying to pay bills, food, house etc. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. I personally did not have a penny to my name to try and buy presents and it broke my heart but to actually think that strangers have supported my family this year with some absolutely amazing presents, it just warms my heart. Just to see the smiles on my children's faces, well it made my year.”

Jeanette added: “Thanks to your valuable support, so many children and families living in our county have enjoyed a better Christmas.”