Hattersley Health Champions collecting Christmas presents for kids

Hattersley Health Champions are collecting presents for children in need this Christmas.

Volunteer-run, the Champions connect the Hattersley Group Practice and the local community, doing everything from running health campaigns, creating green spaces and supporting patients.

This year, the team are encouraging people in Hattersley, Hyde and Ashton to donate gifts for ‘Kids in Crisis’ - helping families to provide a fun-filled Christmas for their children.

Types of donations being accepted are gloves, socks, hats, colouring books, pens, bouncy balls, chocolate, toothbrushes, story books, headphones, puzzles games and Lego sets.

Due to Covid-19, second-hand goods and soft toys are not being accepted.

All the toys and clothes collected are going to be distributed with the help of foodbanks in Hattersley and Hyde, the Women & Children Centre in Ashton and the Hattersley Group Practice.

Donation drop-off points are as follows;

• Entrance to Asda, Hyde, in donation trolley
• Hattersley Group Practice (the Doctors surgery)
• One Stop Shop (on Hattersley Road East and West)

In 2019, just a year after the Hattersley Health Champions were established, the team delivered 200 presents to local children at Christmas, including donations from Asda and its customers, Boots, Tesco, and GTD Healthcare. They hope this year is just as lucrative.

Volunteer, Grenville Lunn, said: “There are lots of families that do need it, probably more this year than next. Those that went to the foodbank last year, they were really pleased to receive these things.

“I’d also like to thank those we work with, in addition to gtd healthcare and the NHS (who have funded our activities to date), we work closely with Onward Homes, Groundwork, Hattersley Community Big Garden Project, St Barnabas Church, Action Together, BeWell, Tameside South & Longdendale Foodbank, Tameside & Glossop Dementia Action Alliance, Sandwich Angels, local schools, local councillors and of course, the individuals that make up our community." 

The Champions' plans for 2021 are to continue working on the Hattersley GP garden and train people to use health apps.