‘No child should go without’: Northampton woman creates online group designed to offer gifts to families who are struggling

A Northampton woman keen to reduce the pressure of Christmas for parents who might be struggling financially has created an online group where donors can offer gifts.

Emma Miller, from Boughton, was inspired to start a Facebook group, called Santa’s Little Helpers, after seeing how many families rely on free school meals and thinking about how this may affect them during the festive period.

The mum-of-two is encouraging any donors to post toys they are happy to donate to a child, so that parents can then message the poster about collecting the present.

Emma said: “If parents are struggling to feed their children at the moment, with Christmas coming up, how must they be feeling with the pressure of that on top of everything else?

"Normally people suffer anyway at Christmas. Parents get into debt and that worry carries on into the next year, but this is the worst year we’ve ever faced.

“People who have never found themselves in this situation before are being made redundant and are finding themselves in dark places.

“I don’t want any child to go without at Christmas, but this is about the parents too.”

Emma recalls watching her own mum work seven days a week so she could have gifts at Christmas.

The now 34-year-old would circle ideas in the Argos catalogue thinking she was helping her mum out because Santa would buy the toys rather than her mum having to. She realises now how hard that must have been for her mum.

Emma hopes the group, which was set up on Sunday (October 25) and already has more than 180 members, can provide parents who need a helping hand with a ‘couple of small gifts to wrap up’.

She added: “You can’t explain to a child who believes in Santa that they can’t get a gift this year and other people have decent things to offer that could easily go to a kid who believes in Santa.

“I just want to get it out there to as many people as possible, so people who will really benefit from it get to see it.

“It can be a really subtle thing just between the person who is offering and the parent.

“I have not said it has to be specifically in Northampton. If it can be shared further and help more people, then that will be great.”

Within the group, Emma is also hoping to organise a raffle where all proceeds will go to buying toys.

To find the group and get involved, search ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ on Facebook or click here.

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