Christmas packs for children
Thousands of children around the North East have received arts and crafts packs thanks to our successful ‘Scrappy Dooz’ project.
Now we’re appealing for help to create and distribute hundreds more in time for Christmas.
More than 3,000 packs filled with an assortment of stationery, stickers, books and games have been winging their way to children throughout lockdown and since they returned to school. The packs have been made possible thanks to generous funding and donations from individuals and from a range of organisations including two Community Foundations (Tyne & Wear and Northumberland and County Durham); Arts Council England (via Culture Bridge North East) and the National Literacy Trust.
Luke Bramhall, School Research and Delivery Manager for Children North East, said:
“We’ve been delighted with the generous funding and the donations which have included everything from painting by numbers sets to jigsaws, writing pads and coloured pencils – all items that the more disadvantaged families in our region can’t afford to buy.
We’ve really been overwhelmed by the response to our activity packs project and would like to thank all those who have helped and continue to do so.
“We are currently putting together packs that will go out to children in the run-up to Christmas and would welcome donations of items for those.”
In County Durham, children at a community youth project called the Activity Den, benefited from receiving Scrappy Dooz packs.
One mum there, Samantha, whose children aged two and eight, received the packs said it had been ‘like Christmas had come early’ for them.
We found the first lockdown very hard. My husband was placed on furlough for two months. And it was hard keeping the children entertained – there are only so many times you can go out for a walk.
“I’m not creative at all. The kids will say, ‘Can you draw such and such?’ and I can’t, but the packs had step-by-step drawing instructions and the children loved that. I’d give the packs ten out of ten, definitely.”
If you’d like to donate to our Scrappy Dooz packs in time for Christmas, please check out the best ways to do so here. And for more ideas on how you can help babies, children and young people this Christmas, why not visit our Hope For Christmas Appeal?