Teen brings hundreds of gifts to 'cancel out' isolation
BBCA schoolgirl from Carrickfergus, County Antrim, is giving 300 care home residents a Christmas present to help tackle loneliness.
Phoebe said she wanted to make sure elderly isolation was "cancelled out".
"I just hope it brightens their day a wee bit," she told BBC News NI.
"It could be as little as a toothbrush... or a bar of chocolate, just something to make their day a wee bit better."
The 15-year-old brought gifts to older people in three care homes and one fold last year, but said she is doing twice that amount this year.
"I had started this because in the middle of last year my great-granda got diagnosed with dementia.
"I knew I wanted to do something to help others," she explained.
Phoebe said her great-grandmother is helping sort the donations and is putting the presents together.
"She's loving organising it. It's quite fun to be honest," the schoolgirl said.
"With lots of help, it's getting done quite quick."
Phoebe added that when she returned to visit residents this year, one woman "could remember every scent and every present I gave her last year, so it had quite an impact".
'We do appreciate that we're not forgotten'
Betty Redfern, a resident at Knockagh Rise Nursing Home, said: "It was a lovely surprise to see a young teenager coming in to think about us."
She said it was "very touching, very emotional".
"We do appreciate that we're not forgotten.
"Although we're here and we make friends with each other, but it's lovely to know that the outside world comes in to us and tells us about what they're doing."
The pensioner said she received "lovely body wash... and lovely sweets which we're always looking for".
Fellow resident Maureen Allen said the schoolgirl's gesture of kindness "was very thoughtful and it's much appreciated".
She joked that her favourite items in the gift bag from Phoebe were chocolates and "something to take the wrinkles off".
The manager of Knockagh Rise Nursing Home, Joeleen Logan, said it was "a lovely idea".
"It's lovely to see the smiles on the residents' faces. It really brightened up their days.
"We have a lot of residents here that wouldn't have family members, maybe they're living across the water.
"So it's nice to see that they will have a wee present just in time for Christmas."
