Tears as gifts are distributed by Bognor Regis charity

That was the message from My Sisters’ House in Bognor Regis after toys and gifts poured in for its Christmas Gifting appeal.

"We’ve seen an amazing response to our Christmas Gifting appeal, with brands new toys and gifts pouring in from the local community – from chocolate coins to talking dinosaurs, big or small, every single gift is much needed and greatly appreciated. It’s amazing to see this much support at a time when everyone is finding prices a struggle,” said CEO Lucy Budge.

“We invite the women we support to come and choose gifts for their children, some stocking fillers and selection boxes. This way we know the presents will be loved by the children who open them on Christmas day. It’s been great to see women finding the perfect gift that fits their child’s interests. We also make sure the women have a gift for themselves – so many of them are just focused on giving their children a good Christmas and wouldn’t have had anything themselves. We also provide a bag of essential toiletries and foodbank vouchers if they are needed.

"One client yesterday left us a lovely message on Facebook: ‘I would like to say a massive thank you to you all, this is the first time I have used this service due to unfortunate circumstances I have found myself in over the last few months and I’m truly blown away by the generosity and all the effort everyone goes to making sure no children go without. I’m truly grateful“.

“It’s hearing things like this that make all the effort and everyone’s generosity worthwhile.”

My Sisters’ House Women’s Centre is committed to finding ways to make Christmas that little bit easier for local women struggling to get by, both financially and emotionally. Lucy said Christmas can be difficult at the best of times with so much pressure to make it perfect and when you are struggling just to get by day-to-day it can feel overwhelming.

"Increasing levels of financial hardship and worries for the future mean that more and more families are going to feel the financial and emotional strain this Christmas,” she said. “We’ve seen an increase in demand for all our services so far during the whole of 2022 and Christmas is no different.

“We usually run the gifting for three days (Tuesday-Thursday), but this year we’ve had to open for an extra half day on Friday to meet the demand. On the first day we had over 70 families through the door, choosing gifts for multiple children. We’ve had a few tears from staff, volunteers and the women coming through – the relief of knowing your children have Christmas presents can be overwhelming. The women here also know they are not alone and everyone here understands what it means to be where they are.”