We're coming up to Christmas and for many people it's a time to get excited. However, there's a lot of people who dread it and many will spend it alone or on the streets.
Sadly, a lot of people who are going to have a shitty Christmas are children, the people who should be enjoying the holidays the most. Their parents may not be able to afford the iPad or the new phone that all their friends are getting. In fact, they may not be able to afford anything at all.
That's why Mission Christmas was set up - the largest annual Christmas toy appeal in the UK.
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Jamie Sweaton was listening to the radio when he heard that around 27 percent of children in Yorkshire are living in poverty and potentially won't wake up to any Christmas presents.
Jamie and his son, Jacob.
He told TheLADbible: "I have a four-year-old son of my own who spends most of the year getting excited for Christmas and Santa, so that broke my heart. As a result I decided that this year I wanted to make a difference.
"I recruited a few close friends, family and people I work with and collected as many toys as I could. I put posters on walls, in windows and spoke to as many people as I could to collect toys for less fortunate children.
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"They all had to be brand new and unopened. Once I had got as many as I could (over a few weeks) I dropped them off to our local radio station who will distribute them out to kids in our region who don't get to open presents on Christmas Day."
Some of the gifts Jamie collected.
The thing is, any one of us can get involved in this. In 2015, Mission Christmas managed to get over £13 million in gifts and donations which were distributed to more than 300,000 disadvantaged kids across the UK. The charity works closely with social workers, head teachers and the emergency services who nominate families in crisis to be supported by the appeal.
If you fancy getting involved, all you need to do is drop off unopened toys to any of the drop-off points in the interactive map below.
Alternatively, you can text MISSION to 70808 to make a £5 donation to the appeal or click here to donate online.
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Jamie added: "I think the message I'd like to spread is that it doesn't matter whether you can spare £5 or £50 - it all helps, especially when others have nothing."
We couldn't agree with you more, Jamie. Congratulations on being our LAD Of The Week.
We want to showcase YOUR stories. What are you doing to benefit the community? Is your mate doing something awesome for someone else? Even if you're just helping your next door neighbour in the cold winter months - we want to know about it. Email us with your story - [email protected] and you could be featured next week.
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If you feel lonely this Christmas, or a bit down, you can speak to the guys over at The CALMzone who offer amazing support to anyone when things get tough.
The helpline and web chat service are open 5pm to midnight, every day of the year. Nationwide: 0800 58 58 58; London: 0808 802 58; Webchat: www.thecalmzone.net/get-help
You can contact the Samaritans on a Freephone number - 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected]
Featured image credit: Supplied
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Lad of the week, Christmas, Children, Charity