Communities at Christmas

Christmas is a time to come together and make the season extra special, and that is why Sam, one of the people we support in Cardiff, and staff in Swansea have organised Christmas collections for their local communities. 

This year, Sam has been organising toy and food collections in Cardiff. Sam’s ‘Cardiff Christmas Appeal’ supports Boomerang Cardiff and Cardiff Foodbank, organisations ensuring families have enough food over the Christmas period and children have something to open on Christmas Day. 

Sam and Lara with donations

This is the fourth year Sam has taken part in this appeal, and while he has organised it alone in the past, this year he has had help from his friend Lara. 

Sam shared how important it is to support communities, saying: 

“It is important for us to help others!” 

Sam wanted to organise the Christmas collection to ensure no one feels left out during the festive season. He shared: 

“The reason I wanted to get involved with the Christmas gift appeal was to help children who don’t have Christmas presents.” 

To make donating easier, Sam arranged for contributions to be dropped off at Mirus’ head office, his home, the Stronger Communities group activities and even offered to collect donations personally. 

Thanks to the generosity of the local community, Sam and Lara have collected over 20 donations. They are delighted that their efforts will help make Christmas extra special. 

Similarly, Mirus staff in Swansea organised the third Christmas toy collection and toy bank. For the last two years, the toy bank was held in Ystradgynlais, but this year’s move to Swansea has helped us to introduce ourselves to and connect more with another local community. 

Jade Flynn, Community Development and Volunteering Lead, highlighted the significance of the event, saying: 

“The toy bank is a way of giving back, helping to make Christmas a little brighter, and putting a smile on a family’s face. If we can help in any way, we will.” 

On the day of the toy bank, staff ensured everyone who came through the doors left with something special. One visitor, a woman with eight children and a granddaughter, shared how much the event meant to her: 

“Having this toy bank was so helpful. It takes away that bit of pressure.” 

She discovered the event on Facebook and expressed gratitude for the support it offered. 

To spread even more Christmas cheer, leftover toys were donated to the Neighbourly project, which operates through Lidl stores, and to St Mary’s Church in Port Talbot. The church provides toys, supplies, playgroups, clothing, and more to the community. 

Additionally, after hearing about the success of our event, a staff member from Amazon reached out to offer us donations of pre-loved toys they had collected from their colleagues. All the donated toys have helped provide 212 sacks of gifts to children throughout Port Talbot. 

The Cardiff Christmas Appeal and Swansea toy bank were great successes, bringing communities together and making the festive season a little brighter for families across the regions.