Heartbreaking letters from children to Santa ask for 'clean clothes'

08.12.2022 - 16:21 / dailyrecord.co.uk

Heartbreaking letters from children to Santa ask for a variety of things from 'clean clothes' to 'anything'. The recipients of the letters were left 'devastated' reading the kids' Christmas wishes, reports Birmingham Live.

The pub staff at the Percy Arms hung the messages on their Christmas tree as part of the Christmas For All organisation's campaign. The campaign asks kids to write what they want for Christmas on a tag, along with their age and gender

Customers at the drinking spot are then asked to pick a tag from the tree and buy the wanted present before returning it to the pub so the organisation can hand them out to the children. However, amidst an ongoing cost-of-living crisis the messages this year left many patrons keen to help out.

Christmas For All organiser Oliver Bennet said the children’s requests “had shaken each and every one of us to the core". The messages on the tags ranged from the children wanting fresh garments to a gift for their bereaved father.

An eight-year-old girl wrote on her tag: “Clean clothes, please. Mine are dirty."

Another note written on behalf of a 17-year-old boy said: “Anything, as he’s used to getting nothing.”

Meanwhile, a 15-year-old girl wrote: "A present for my dad. He's sad since my mum died and not in a good place."

The children benefitting from the campaign have either been referred by other organisations, local authorities or sometimes they are self-referred. The organisation has set a goal of trying to supply around 2,000 children in southeast Northumberland with gifts this Christmas.

The charity also called on the government to extend free school meals to all children whose parents or guardians are in benefit of Universal Credit.

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