Staff and residents from Ideal Carehomes got into the spirit of Christmas by helping local families via the Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal.
Each year, the Salvation Army collect new and unwrapped Christmas presents to distribute to local children who might not otherwise receive one.
This year, staff and residents across 20 care homes operated by Ideal Carehomes offered their support by asking their friends and neighbours to donate Christmas toys, which could be dropped-off in the care homes.
A Salvation Army spokesperson said, ‘We are very grateful to Ideal Carehomes for supporting our Christmas Present Appeal. It makes such a difference to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford Christmas at all, and to children who wouldn’t have any presents to open at Christmas without it.’
In December, residents from each home took the donated gifts to their closest Salvation Army church, where the presents were distributed to local families in time for Christmas.
71-year-old Anne Vollbracht, who has lived at Fairway View care home in Bulwell since May 2022, said ‘As a retired social worker, I have seen many children over the years that received nothing at Christmas, and it was heart breaking. They think Santa doesn’t love them. Every child deserves a gift at Christmas.’
Stacey Linn, the Managing Director at Ideal Carehomes, said, ‘Times are hard for many families at the moment, and we wanted to do our bit to help those who are struggling. All our care homes love to support their communities, so it came as no surprise when our care teams and residents jumped on board to help the Salvation Army this year!’ Ideal Carehomes provides 24 hour residential and dementia care, with an all-inclusive fee offer, in state-of-the-art homes across Yorkshire, the North West and Midlands. They have recently been named a Top 20 Care Home Group by carehome.co.uk for the third year