Kettering Home-Start families given Christmas boost from generous community

Families living in poverty in the Kettering area have been given a Christmas boost as donations to a charity have been pouring in from generous locals.

Home-Start supports families with young children with health and well-being, but this year will also help them with food and heating too.

More than 70 struggling families will be given Christmas food and presents that will take the pressure off cash-strapped parents.

Manager Nikki Farrar-Hayton has been visiting families where children are cold and have been sleeping in their daytime clothes in an attempt to keep warm.

She said: “This is by far the worse year I have ever known in 22 years. It’s heartbreaking. I visit families and I pick up babies who are cold.

"There are families who don’t have carpets, just maybe a rug on bare floors. It makes it cold. They might have heating on for an hour – that’s five pounds and it’s gone so quickly. It’s not enough to touch the cold.

"Children are sleeping in the clothes they have been wearing during the day. They can’t bathe because there’s no hot water. They don’t get hot meals, only at school.”

Donations of festive food and gifts will ensure families will be able to spend money they would have used on Christmas be used for energy bills and vital services.

Among those supporting the charity has been Kettering Green Party with a collection organised by members Julie Buxton and Liane Robinson. Using a reverse advent calendar donations were given every day.

A total of 80 boxes have been handed over after Julie organised a previous collection.

Julie said: “The idea for the reverse advent calendar was taken from a similar scheme that ran in Bedford a few years ago. We knew that Kettering Home-Start looked after 70 families this year and thought that was a reachable target.

“Everyone is acutely aware of the cost of living crisis at the moment and I think that when people hear about the struggles of those less fortunate it makes them thankful for what they have and absolutely willing to help. So I'm not surprised that we reached our target but I must admit it was quite overwhelming to see all the boxes sitting there, beautifully wrapped, many with attached personal messages of goodwill and love.”

Each family will receive a hamper of food and adults and children will be given presents to unwrap on the big day.

Cllr Emily Fedorowycz (Green/Clover Hill) said: “So many are struggling with the cost of living and this is such a tiny way to help, but we hope it’s going to spread some joy and love this Christmas.

“The 70 boxes will be going to the 70 families that the Home-start charity supports, and all the volunteers and donors who came together to pull this off are just incredible - I’ve no doubt all this work will bring a lot of smiles.”

Ms Farrar-Hayton added: “Thank you for everything. We’ve been overwhelmed, we have so many donations. Nothing will be wasted. Anything left over will be given to families in January. There is poverty on our doorstep. It’s terrible.”