Photo: Halton Family Hubs team with the donated toys.
Halton Family Hubs have extended a heartfelt thank you to local businesses, organisations, and staff who came together to provide hundreds of Christmas hampers and toys for families across Runcorn and Widnes.
The hamper appeal was launched to help ease the extra financial strain many families experience at Christmas and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, ensuring that the season of goodwill reached those who needed it most. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the community, around 200 families and 500 children received food hampers and toys that made a real difference.
Among the many contributors were:
· Farnworth Methodist Church volunteers, who purchased, packed, and delivered hampers for local families.
· Merseyflow, donating £4,500 to purchase toys for children in Runcorn and Widnes.
· PossAbilities, packing and delivering food hampers.
· Family Hub staff, who prepared and delivered the hampers.
· Local professionals, who nominated families and helped with collections and deliveries.
Other contributors included Husco, Epredia, Urenco and Avison Young.
One parent said: “Honestly, I can’t thank you enough, hampers are great. Huge stress pressure taken off. Kids are happy.”
Another parent added: “The hamper helped me massively, struggling as a single parent and after the year I’ve had. The babies got to wake up to things they love such as the bike and shutterbug which I wouldn’t have been able to afford. Also eating without worrying.”
Cllr Tom McInerney, Halton Borough Council’s portfolio holder for Children and Young People, said: “This incredible effort shows the true spirit of our community. We’ve had so much support from local businesses, organisations, and volunteers that it’s impossible to thank everyone personally – but please know your generosity has made a real difference to families across Halton. This is a powerful example of what ‘Together for all in Halton’ means – a community united to support families when they need it most.”
Halton Family Hubs are funded by the UK government as part of its national Family Hubs programme and are delivered locally through a partnership led by Halton Borough Council in collaboration with the NHS and other local organisations.
Halton Family Hubs provide a single access point for families with children and young people aged 0–19 (or up to 25 with SEND) to get help, advice, and support. They bring together services such as early years support, parenting advice, health services, and community resources under one roof, making it easier for families to find what they need. The hubs aim to give every child the best start in life and ensure families can access help when they need it most. For more information visit www.haltonfamilyhubs.co.uk
The full list of supporters is below:
· Husco
· Runcorn Asda
· Rob Shearer
· Urenco
· Epredia
· Frodsham Soroptomists
· Merseyflow and Merseylink
· Farnworth Church
· PossAbilities
· Avison Young
· Thelwall All Saints Church
· Murdishaw, Castlefields, Weavervale and Brookvale GP practices
· Mander Ryan
· Mayor of Halton’s Office