Hundreds of homeless and vulnerable people in Hastings received a Christmas gift thanks to Observer appeal

Two weeks ago, the Observer launched its festive appeal, asking readers to donate small items to be given out at a Christmas party hosted by the Seaview Project.

The charity’s festive event included a free raffle, and the aim was to gather as many prizes and presents to distribute so that none of the 200 service users attending would go without a gift.

On Tuesday (December 18), Observer chief reporter Maria Hudd delivered the donations to Seaview’s wellbeing centre in St Leonards.

She said: “The reaction to our Christmas appeal has been absolutely amazing.

“We’ve been blown away by how many lovely items were donated, including toiletry sets, chocolates, hand warmers, clothes, raincoats, books, a thermos flask, towels and so much more.

“Our aim was to put a smile on the faces of people who don’t have much to look forward to this Christmas.

“Thanks to the generosity of our wonderful readers, hundreds of homeless and vulnerable people will now get to enjoy a bit of festive cheer.

“So a huge thank you to everyone who donated and supported our appeal – we are incredibly grateful.”

Annie Whelan, Seaview’s chief officer, added: “Thank you to everyone who donated.

“This means that everyone attending our Christmas party will now get a present, which is really fantastic.”

Seaview’s Christmas party took place on Wednesday (December 19), with three sittings of a free festive meal for people who are marginalised by society, either through mental health issues, addiction or homelessness.

For more information, visit http://www.seaviewproject.co.uk/.

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