Christmas tree farm shop pledges to help Northampton children in care with festive campaign

Smiths Farm Shop on Brampton Lane will make a donation from each tree sale towards presents for kids without a home this Christmas.

In addition, the family business has donated a Christmas tree to Northamptonshire County Council's leaving care team to make their annual festive party extra special.

Farm shop owner Adrian Smith said: “We’re all about family here at Smiths Farm Shop and we feel very lucky to have each other.

"But, there are hundreds of children across the county who are not so fortunate and for whatever reason may not be spending Christmas with their loved ones.

“Many of them will be facing the festive period in foster care or in a children’s home and there’s no guarantee that Father Christmas will be visiting those kids.

"That’s why we decided to launch our Gift in Care campaign, which will hopefully help spread a bit of Christmas cheer among the children who need it the most.

For the donations, former Northamptonshire social worker Jeanette Walsh, known affectionately as Mother Christmas, will buy and hand out the gifts on behalf of Smiths.

"For whatever reason, there will be thousands of children in care this Christmas who may not be lucky enough to be gifted anything at all," she said.

"All we want to do is put a smile on as many faces as possible and with the help of Smiths Farm Shop, we’ll be able to do that.

“For anybody out there wondering where to get their tree from this year, I hope they decide to go to Smiths Farm Shop, because not only do they have an excellent choice of trees, but they are also attempting to help make Christmas more special for kids in care.”

Smiths Farm Shop has been selling Christmas trees for more than 30 years and claim its firs last longer because they are cut fresh from a Leicestershire plantation and transported straight to the farm where they are immediately for sale.

This year, for the first time ever, farm visitors will be able to view a range of trees from 3ft to 13ft-tall displayed across the field so they can see exactly what it is they are buying.