TENANTS at a Cumbernauld Retirement Housing Development have worked hard with the community to ensure disadvantaged children across Europe can enjoy a Merry Christmas with something to unwrap.

More than 50 hats were made while development manager, Elizabeth Fox, designed her very own puppets to be donated to children in Romania and Belarus.

267 Shoeboxes were filled by New College Lanarkshire students with help from knitting knowledge and gifts donated by a group of avid crafters from Bield’s Hillcrest Court.

Elizabeth said: “We’ve now been making these donations for five years and make sure we have a good start by kicking things back off again in January!

“Not only is it a great cause but it really brings our tenants together as they work to produce some fantastic presents for the coming festive season.”

This year the tenants were delighted, in addition to making clothes and woolly candy canes, to pass on their expertise to a new generation. A group of students at the New College Lanarkshire’s Cumbernauld Campus worked with tenants to pick up knitting-needles and make a start on their own contributions.

The college spoiled the tenants with tea and Jam scones as a thank you for all their efforts in helping them to fill such a fantastic number of boxes.

Lecturer at New College Lanarkshire, Beatrice Soutar said: “This year’s group have worked very hard and have been so involved and so enthusiastic in trying to send as many shoeboxes as they can from the College to the children.

“We hope that by doing this we will help bring happiness to children around the world who do not normally receive anything on Christmas Day.”

Since 1990, The Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal has given more than 124 million shoeboxes to children living in poverty across the globe.

Elizabeth added: “Handing down a wee bit of knowledge to the wider community has been a lovely addition this year and might even improve the total of donations for next year!”

Activities like this are an excellent example of Bield’s ‘Free to Be’ ethos, which aims to enable people to make their own choices and live as independently as possible.

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