Families receive Christmas helping hand thanks to fundraiser

Cumbria Education Trust’s (CET) Donna Lund launched an appeal to help families combat the stress of managing finances around the Christmas period.

Mrs Lund, a family learning mentor with the multi-academy trust, put her plan into action in October when she started to contact businesses and supermarkets in Carlisle to see whether they would donate money, food or other gifts for Christmas hampers for families most in need.

Thanks to her hard work and the generosity of the local community, she created 40 hampers that included all the essentials for Christmas, such as food, clothes and gifts.

Christmas gifts for the hampers (Image: Helliwell Media)

Collectively, £1,600 was donated, which paid for the turkey crown, pigs in blankets and sausage meat that Mullholland Butchers in Great Orton offered at cost price.

There was also thanks to Jill Glencross Funeral Directors, DSD, Craig Robinson Vets, Gurkha Spice, Borderbrite, Ashlea Vets, Cash for Kids, Petteril Bank Council, Balchin Newsagents and Cumberland Building Society who all contributed cash.

Supermarkets Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi and Lidl and Cavaghan & Gray, Carrs and Jacobs all donated contents for the hamper, such as sprouts, carrots, potatoes, stuffing, mince pies, creamy mash, stocking fillers, nibbles, clothes and more.

On top of these hampers, Mrs Lund also received a call from Worldwide Travel Connections in Carlisle who donated 29 fresh Christmas dinner hampers that included a fresh turkey, pigs in blankets, sausage meat, pudding and custard.

Donna Lund with one of the companies that donated to families, Mulholland Butchers. (Image: Helliwell Media)

Some families from CET’s Carlisle primary schools - Caldew Lea, Newtown, Petteril Bank and Yewdale - will now receive these in time for Christmas Day.

The families thanked all those who had contributed.

One parent said: “I can’t put into words what this means to me, I am so grateful.”

Another parent added: “I have four children and I appreciate any help I can get, thank you so much. The cost of living is a nightmare so I can’t appreciate this enough.”