Do you know someone who deserves a Special Gift Bag this Christmas?

Date published: 02 November 2019

Do you know a struggling family this Christmas? An elderly neighbour who won’t receive much? Children who would benefit from some extra Christmas cheer? Or someone simply deserving to receive a special gift?

Special Gift Bags are asking for nominations of people within the Rochdale borough who you think would benefit from a bag of donated gifts this festive period.

Whilst working full time on a mental health ward in Blackburn, Charlotte Crossley, from Littleborough, set up Special Gift Bags in October 2018 with the help of her sister Rebecca Crossley and their 13-year-old cousin, Ellie Fergus.

Self-funded and after only a few months of operation, 132 gift bags were delivered by the group of three to people in the local community for Christmas last year.

Depending on the nominated person's age and gender, gift bags can be made for children, males, females, young and old with different themes. Some examples are Special Gift Bags pamper bags containing candles, body wash and bath bombs or children's bags containing reading and puzzle books, card games and sweets.

Charlotte said: “We donated gift bags to people last year who were either lonely, had little support, would usually receive little or no gifts at Christmas, children going through tough times, pregnant women struggling to cope and generally any person going through hard times that deserved a special gift bag.

“Our aim is to give gifts to those who would otherwise have none, or those who would go unrecognised.

“I’ve always donated to charities near Christmas time, but working on a mental health ward for over 65's I recognised that Christmas is always about the patient and not what their carers and families are going through. I often saw elderly couples who had no family or no support and wanted to recognise them."

Special Gift Bags are once again ready to spread the Christmas cheer and deliver gift bags throughout the Rochdale borough in December.

The gift bag will contain up to six wrapped presents with a card explaining why the nominee is receiving one and who nominated them.

The group are also appealing for donations of any kind that can go into the gift bags, as well as gift bags themselves.

How to nominate someone for a Special Gift Bag

Email specialgiftbags@hotmail.com or message 'Special Gift Bags x' on Facebook with:

1. Your full name
2. Full name of the person you are nominating
3. Their address
4. Your reasons for nominating them
5. Some information about the person e.g. their age, likes and dislikes, so their gift bag can be personalised

• www.facebook.com/specialgiftbagsx/