Rising demand from families needing Christmas help

The number of families asking for help to afford Christmas presents is rising, according to the organiser of a charitable cause.

For the past two years Charlotte Riley has collected and distributed donated gifts voluntarily as part of Christmas Kindness Appeal Jersey which she organises through Facebook. The gifts are given to families for children aged up to 18.

Riley said: "What we are seeing is that each year we're getting more and more numbers coming through."

She said the donated gifts helped to "take the pressure off" families in need of support.

Riley said when she first started the appeal in 2024 she "didn't expect the response from the community".

She said: "I knew there were people in need.

"I didn't quite know how many people that would be."

She said the reasons people might reach out to the appeal included unemployment, ill health and the general high cost of living.

Along with more demand, Riley said there were also increasing numbers of people offering to help.

"It wouldn't be done without those other people helping," she said.

"We have people doing deliveries, we have people doing pickups... we have people that have accessed this and got gifts in previous years that are now saying 'I want to give back' so they will go and do collections for us as well."

Riley said there was a three-week window for donations which can include clothes, food and essentials as well as gifts.

Donations can be made before 14 November.

"People are very complimentary and very thankful," Riley said.

She said she wanted parents to feel part of the process so they were also given wrapping paper and labels.

"It's the small simple things as well that make that big difference," she said.

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