Mersey Care’s ‘Secret Santa’ initiative has returned for the second year in a row, inviting residents in and around Merseyside to gift children and young people a present to open this Christmas.
Michael Crilly, director of Social Health & Community Inclusion at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We launched this appeal as a way of helping children and young people who may be having a really challenging time at Christmas as a means of providing some light and joy.”
The presents are donated to children who the charity support through their health visiting teams, children in care and child and adolescent mental health services.
The inspiration behind the launch of the appeal came from the workers of the charity after seeing that Christmas isn’t a magical time for everyone.
Michael Crilly added: “Our teams can see all of the isolation and loneliness that happens to many children and young people at Christmas, so they asked what can we do? Is there something that we can do to show people that they matter, that they’re cared for and we’re here for them?”
From the previous ‘Secret Santa’ last year, there are many testimonials from families and children who were able to enjoy Christmas the way a child should.
they got something from someone who cared
Michael said: “Particularly children who were taken into care, they’re not going to be sat around a table with family.
“They’re not going to be around a Christmas tree, unwrapping loads of gifts. But they actually got something from someone who cared.”
To get involved in this great cause is generally straightforward.
Mersey Cares have registered a Christmas Wishlist on Amazon (which you can find here), where you can select any item on there that have been chosen by the clinical teams who work closely with children and families. The items range from food to toys or even basic necessities, such as nappies.
If you don’t want to or can’t choose an item off the Amazon Wishlist, a monetary donation can be made through the Mersey Cares website, https://www.merseycares.org/.
Hear more from director Michael Crilly below:
