Our Stronger Together Christmas Campaign got in the festive swing as children enjoyed a Santa’s grotto.
Christmas came early for children at the Stronger Together service as Santa and his elves dished out presents for our festive campaign.
Parents and children who use the March-based service, run by East of England charity Ormiston Families, queued up in anticipation to meet Father Christmas on Saturday morning at its Queens Street hub.
Santa served up a present each from his grotto after hearing requests for gifts ranging from computer games to cuddly toys and even a fancy Hornby train.
The Stronger Together service offers free support to families who have a child with additional needs or disabilities.
Parents are able to access free sensory toys and a support group where they can share advice and chat with other families in similar situations.
After dropping in to see Santa, parents Abraham, 32, and Rosemarie Coetzer, 34, from Chatteris, said their eight-year-old son Micah, who has ADHD and complex needs, had made huge strides since attending the group.
“He really likes it here and has made friends, which isn’t always easy for him,” Rosemarie said.
“It’s also really helped us. We were struggling to get a diagnosis for him and now we are starting to get things in place for him at school, and a lot of that is down to the help we’ve had from Stronger Together.”
Five-year-old Logan Saunders, from just outside Chatteris, was all smiles when he met Santa - and was delighted when Santa agreed he had been a good boy this year.
Logan has Larsen’s Syndrome, which can affect the development of joints and bones, as well as Scoliosis. He wears splints on his arms and legs and doctors said he would never walk.
But Logan is proving them wrong, and mum Laura, 33, a respiratory nurse at the Royal Papworth Hospital, said Stronger Together had been a lifeline for her.
“I’ve been able to access a bit of extra financial support from the government which I didn’t know about thanks to everyone here,” she said.
“I’ve also had my own struggles with mental health and being able to make friends and have the support of the group has been really helpful.”
Once every child had a present, a raffle dished out even more festive joy.
Anna Palmer, service lead for Stronger Together, said the grotto had been a huge hit with the children and a reminder of the group’s strength.
“The children all had a fantastic time and there were lots of happy faces,” she said.
“We also made sure parents went away with a little something as they deserve it. They really make the group what it is and having the courage to share all their experiences makes what we do work.”
Anna was also delighted with the reaction to the campaign so far, having received lots of messages of support.
The campaign fundraising page has already hit more than £850 and Anna urged people to do what they could before Christmas.
“There are only three full-time staff here and you can see today the difference that the team makes to all these parents,” she said.
“If people can share the campaign and give what they can it will help us continue doing what we do for as long as possible.”
You can donate to the Stronger Together Christmas Campaign via the campaign’s JustGiving page online by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/strongertogetherxmas
Donations can also be made via cheque, made payable to ‘Ormiston Families’ and sent via post to Ormiston Families, 25 Queens Street, March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 8SN.
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