Giving tree means 'everyone gets a Christmas'

Pupils from a school in Greater Manchester have taken part in a project to make sure other children will wake up with a present on Christmas morning.

The Giving Tree, at Merseyway Shopping Centre in Stockport, is decorated with gift tags detailing presents which can be bought for children and their families who struggle at Christmas.

Children from St Peter's Catholic High School in Wigan, who are all anti-bullying ambassadors, have been helping with the campaign.

"Everyone deserves a Christmas, whether they can afford it or not," one of them said.

Merseyway and Stockport Council's neighbourhood team reached out to 18 schools to put forward families who cannot afford to buy gifts during the Christmas period.

After finding out what their children would like, tags were hung on the Giving Tree, sharing the age of the recipient and their request.

Shoppers can buy the gifts then leave them, wrapped or unwrapped, at a donation point near the tree.

Shoppng centre manager Victoria Nichol said: "We're in our seventh year and we just keep on getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

"The donations this year have been extraordinary."

The pupils got involved in the project as part of a wider school mission to help other communities.

Teacher Catherine Welch said: "I thought it was a really good opportunity for us to come and show the pupils how they can really benefit a local community.

"We're obviously over from the Wigan borough, so we came over to Stockport to support what is an amazing project."

Pupil Allarna said the project shows that "no matter how hard it is, everyone can always get what they need if they come together."

"I just think it's absolutely beautiful that even in like a society where we've got just so many things going on, so many wars, we can still come together and find faith," she said.

"I hope that it just makes [the recipients'] Christmas because I think they really deserve it."

Youssef, also helping with the Giving Tree, said: "It's important to do projects like this so everyone gets a chance of enjoying Christmas.

Another student, Joseph, added: "Everyone deserves a Christmas, whether they can afford it or not.

"I've seen the amount of people that can't afford it. I've also seen the amount of people who can help people out."

The project is open until 18 December.

This year it is supporting 14 primary schools across Stockport, local homeless shelters, youth groups, women in refuge and the charities Chelwood Foodbank Plus and Emmie's Kitchen.

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