South Lanarkshire homeless children thank social media Santas
23 January 2012
A group of homeless children from South Lanarkshire have sent their thanks to generous Santas who donated gifts to them at Christmas after seeing an appeal on social media.
Children at Shelter Scotland’s Support Service South Lanarkshire project in Blantyre, which is funded by South Lanarkshire Council, received gifts including a Space Hopper, Lego and a Ben 10 comic maker kit from generous donors from across Scotland and England.Over 20 gifts were received just in time for Christmas after the charity put out the call for donations via social networking sites Twitter and Facebook. Staff at the service had feared they would not be able to provide a gift for every child.
Linda Dickson, Service Manager at Shelter Scotland’s Support Service South Lanarkshire, said:
“We are overwhelmed by the level of support we have received and it just goes to show the positive impact social media can have. Homelessness can have a devastating effect on children’s lives and Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for them and their families.
“On behalf of everyone at Shelter Scotland I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to those who donated a gift and made Christmas Day a very special time for the families and children we work with.
“Without the kindness and generosity from our supporters we would not be able to continue our vital work to end bad housing and homelessness in Scotland.”
Shelter Scotland’s Support Service in South Lanarkshire has been running for 10 years, helping over 1,000 children and 600 families in the area during that time.
South Lanarkshire Council funds Shelter Scotland’s work with homeless families in the area, and its Homelessness Manager Val Holtom said: “The Council is very aware of the significant impact that homelessness can have on children and that this can be particularly acute at Christmas.
“The Shelter Support Service provides invaluable support to some of our most vulnerable homeless children and we are both encouraged and delighted by the success of this appeal.”