To support care leavers this Christmas, Warwickshire County Council’s House Project has launched a campaign asking the community to donate Christmas trees and decorations so that young people can...
To support care leavers this Christmas, Warwickshire County Council’s House Project has launched a campaign asking the community to donate Christmas trees and decorations so that young people can decorate their homes and enjoy the festivities as much as possible this year.
Many care experienced young people have struggled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, some have lost their jobs or are struggling to make ends meet and some don’t have any family members around them to support them through this difficult time. Therefore, many cannot afford to buy luxuries such as trees and decorations and so the project wants to ensure that Christmas can still be enjoyed by care leavers.
Tamar Green, House Project Support Worker at Warwickshire County Council said:
“We are delighted to launch this initiative in the lead up to Christmas so that all care leavers in Warwickshire can enjoy the festive season this year. It has been a very unsettling year for many, especially these young people living alone.
“We have already received some fantastic donations from supermarkets, shops and members of the community however we can’t stop there – our goal is to ensure that all of our care leavers in Warwickshire can have a Christmas tree that they can decorate this year!
“We are asking members of the community for any unwanted or donated Christmas trees, lights and decorations.”
A young care leaver who is a part of Warwickshire’s House Project added:
“I think the Christmas tree campaign is an amazing idea, there are so many teens who are living independently and are leaving care who don’t have anybody to spend Christmas with and don’t have the money to buy Christmas decorations.
“This campaign will make Christmas a lot easier for them and make them feel a bit more Christmassy over this period. It will also increase their mood and improve their mental and emotional wellbeing.”
Cllr Jeff Morgan, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services said:
“We put young people at the heart of everything we do, and we want to support our care leavers to lead safe, healthy and independent lives.
“Warwickshire’s House Project aims to support this by helping young people leaving care create their own home and live independently.
“We appreciate that 2020 has been a really difficult year for many of our care leavers so we are asking our residents to provide donations so that our care leavers can all have the best possible Christmas!”
If you would like to make a donation, collections can be made at addresses within Warwickshire and there are also two drop off points in Nuneaton and Warwick. The county council will start to deliver the trees and decorations to care leavers at the start of December so any donations should be made by 30 November.
To make a donation, to arrange a drop off/collection or if you have any questions about the campaign, contact Tamar Green, House Project Support Worker by calling 07787 105803 or emailing TamarGreen@warwickshire.gov.uk. All drop offs arranged will adhere to social distancing guidelines.
For more information on Warwickshire’s House Project visit https://warwickshire.thehouseproject.org/