Northampton charity smashed last year’s total and gave away 418 Christmas presents ahead of the big day

The Spring Charity, which aims to help families in the NN1 area of the town to thrive, hosted this event for a third year and had been preparing since July.

Last Tuesday (December 17), families were invited to pick free presents from the hundreds that had been donated – some of whom may not have been able to afford much for their children otherwise.

The charity manager, Tracey Hamilton, had been collecting donations of new toys and gifts since the summer to help those who struggle to buy presents due to financial difficulty.

“It was amazing,” said Tracey, who was pleased that the couple of boxes of presents left over were also given to local children by the Semilong Hub.

The families were “so grateful” for what the charity had pulled off once again, and the children were so excited to see how much was on offer. Father Christmas was also handing out wrapped books.

When asked how much of a difference this present pick makes, Tracey told the Chronicle & Echo: “A lot of families can cope during the year and keep going, but they get to Christmas and have to choose between paying their bills or buying presents.

“It’s a relief for them and they’re so grateful to receive a present. We also gave them wrapping paper, tags and cellotape to get ready for the big day.”

Scooters, bikes, toy cleaning sets and Squishmallows were among the most popular toys of 2024, as well as books. Having started the day with around 500 books, there were just 20 left by the afternoon.

“It made me so happy,” said Tracey, talking about seeing the smiles on people’s faces. “We all work so hard and it’s a massive task as we start collecting in July.

“I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. We know everyone is finding it difficult financially and they are stars for going the extra mile. All the toys were brand new.”