Wixams retirement village helps spread smiles to children fleeing domestic abuse - thanks to KidsOut charity

The charity has been inundated with donations – and some of those gifts were donated by residents and staff at ExtraCare’s Wixams Retirement Village.

They decided to help the charity after Helen Williams, dementia and mental well-being enabler at Wixams Retirement Village discovered KidsOut and felt it offered a more meaningful alternative to a traditional Secret Santa. When residents heard about the idea, they were keen to get involved.

Now in its third year, the Giving Tree has become a much-loved annual tradition, with residents asking as early as October whether it will be returning.

And this year more than 150 gift tags – each featuring a child’s name, age and suggested gift – were on display for residents, visitors and staff to pick.

Alongside tagged gifts, people were also able to donate independently or make financial donations via a QR code.

Helen said: “This charity, especially this year, is close to home for people I know who have been affected by domestic abuse. Knowing that we can make a difference to even one child’s life, particularly when they’ve had to leave everything behind through no fault of their own, means the absolute world.

"I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by such amazing staff and residents who want to contribute and be part of something so generous. It really shows that kindness, empathy and generosity are still very much alive.”

A KidsOut spokesperson said: “On behalf of KidsOut, may I thank all the staff who have been so generous by way of donating toys and gifts to our annual Giving Tree. Thanks to you, many children who have fled domestic abuse and are living in women's refuges this Christmas, will have something to open on Christmas Day.”

The presents are now on their way to the tens of thousands of children who will be spending the festive season in a domestic abuse refuge.

KidsOut trustee Eileen Barnes-Vachell explained: "They're already going through trauma, so it's about giving them the best we can. It's very touching and moving to know that the generosity of people in this country is fantastic. It's really lovely.

"There are 26,000 children in refuges in this country and the numbers are increasing, so it's a really big social problem."

And even though finances are tight for many at this time of year, more than 50,000 bags of toys have been donated by companies and individuals.

They will be delivered free of charge by FedEx.

Eileen added: "We have over 1,300 companies who are part of our Giving Tree initiative. This week we’ve had Barclaycard, Tesco, Intivo, Homes by Honey and others volunteering."

The Giving Tree started out as an alternative to the traditional Secret Santa, with participants buying a gift for a child fleeing domestic abuse instead of buying a gift for a colleague.

Some of those children would otherwise receive very little – or nothing – at Christmas.

Last year, 51,070 presents were distributed to children in refuges – and a further 22,199 were given to disadvantaged children who have life-limiting disabilities, are carers, or are affected by economic hardship.

This year it's expected to be even more.

And that's not all. KidsOut has made it its mission to deliver a box of new toys to all children within a week of arriving at a refuge – and they also get birthday presents.

Volunteers are needed year-round. Anyone who wants to get involved can email [email protected]

You can also visit the website at https://kidsout.org.uk/ to find out more about how you could make a difference.