Northamptonshire sight charity launches Christmas giving trees in bid to collect presents for service users

A Northamptonshire sight charity has launched Christmas giving trees in two Northampton locations in a bid to collect presents for service users.

Northamptonshire Association for the Blind (NAB) has launched its Gift Giving Tree appeal at Weston Favell Shopping centre and the NAB Sight Centre in Kingsthorpe.

Both festive trees are decorated with snowmen made from upcycled pairs of glasses by 1st Upton and 1st Northampton Rainbows, Brownies and Girl Guides. The charity thanked the children for their creative work, which “makes the campaign especially meaningful”.

The idea behind the trees is that people will notice them, think of the charity and donate an extra gift if they can.

Cara Anderson marketing, communications and fundraising officer for NAB said: “People can bring anything to the tree and we are grateful for whatever people can donate.

“It is about being tactile and thinking about what the service users can see or use, so something soft like towels or in our sight centre we sell enlarged prints and calendars and clocks with bigger hands or ones that talk. Toiletries will also be great.

“This can be quite an isolating time of year for our service users so one gift and thinking someone donated that and that it has come from the good of their heart can really make their festive season.”

NAB’s fundraising and events officer Janette Muddiman added: “It would be hugely appreciated by NAB and the people we support if shoppers can manage one extra gift this One tree is located on the upper mall at Weston Favell Shopping centre where gifts can be donated at the customer service desk from 10am-4pm.

The other tree is situated at NAB’s Sight Centre, Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe where gifts can be purchased and donated from 9am-3pm Monday to Friday.

The deadline for gift donations is Monday December 12. NAB staff will then distribute all gifts to service users.

For those with unwanted glasses, Northampton Eighty Lions Club is also collecting spectacles no longer in use to distribute to people who would not otherwise have access to them. Used glasses collection points are located near both of the festive trees.