Joyce Stebbings, play leader for Southampton Children’s Hospital, says: “We have around 200 beds in the Children’s Hospital and were thrilled that each child got a gift bag.

Inside were some really nice presents catered specifically for their interests and age groups.

These included items such as soft toys, books, and puzzles for the babies and younger children, right through to Lego, vouchers, and games for the older children.

We couldn’t have done it without the Charity and our local community, so thank you.”

Carrie Smith, Voluntary Services Manager sent a festive thank you to our current volunteers. “We teamed up with the Charity and our on-site Marks & Spencer team to produce a small token for our dedicated volunteers on-site during December.

This enabled them to purchase a hot drink or snack, and whilst it’s not quite the same as being able to serve tea and mince-pies to our lovely volunteers ourselves as we would in normal times, they all appreciated the festive refreshment.”

Gail Doran, Care Group Manager for Neurosciences, says: “This year is the second Christmas that staff are working flat out with Covid-19 pressures. This got us thinking as to what we could do for staff that was a bit different.

We have spent £3,000 on around 1,200 items to bring some joy to our staff. All of these items were put in boxes for staff to enjoy a gift or two. Items include chocolates, stress balls, pocket-sized notebooks, hand creams, travel mugs, succulent plants, and much more. We hope it put a smile on their faces.”

Kate Stride, E8 ward: “We gave staff a Christmas card from our senior team to the rest of the team and personalised cookies. That personal touch makes a real difference. Thank you!”