Hope for Wigan families facing tough Christmas amid cost of living crisis

As the cost of living crisis rages on, the church and charity based in Scholes will be working with local organisations to help children in the town wake up with a present on Christmas Day.

With more families being pushed into poverty, the Salvation Amry is encouraging members of the community to add an extra toy to their shopping list so that families struggling to buy a gift for their children can ensure there is something for them to open on the morning of December 25.

The Christmas Present Appeal runs until Christmas Eve with a request for new, unwrapped toys and gifts to be dropped at the church and community centre (corps) within the town and also at Tesco at Central Park.

Major Mark Lewis, church leader for The Salvation Army in Wigan, said: “Christmas is usually a time of joy but with the ongoing cost of living crisis and adding to that the continued rise in the prices of energy, we’re already seeing an increase on numbers from this time last year as the hardest hit members of our community continue to struggle to make ends meet.

“We have no doubt that the need this year for support will be greater than we have seen before and in the challenging times that people are facing, there will certainly be people that will struggle this Christmas.

“Donating a gift will go a long way to making a child’s Christmas that little bit brighter and allows us as an organisation to support those that are most in need.

“No parent wants their child to go without on Christmas Day but for many this will be the reality and everyone working together to support our community is what the Christmas story inspires us to do.”

For those who wish to be involved in a contactless present drop facility, an Amazon Wish List has been created which includes a balanced list of gifts ideal to the appeal. Users of the list can purchase goods direct from Amazon and have them delivered to the corps, reducing contact and shopping needs. To access the link please visit: www.salvationarmy.org.uk/wigan

Gifts should be appropriate for children and young people, aged 0 to 16 years old. The Salvation Army will then sort and distribute the gifts to children and families in the area through its own networks, local charities, schools and social services.