1,600 gifts for Sunderland families, thanks to helping hand from Dunelm customers

Shoppers at Dunelm Sunderland were today praised after they bought and donated over 1,600 Christmas gifts to local charities.

And with the cost of living crisis getting worse, they made sure the presents were just the thing to keep people warm this winter.

Grace House, St Benedicts’ and Sunderland Royal Hospital Children’s Ward were among the causes to benefit.

So were Sunderland Woman’s Centre, Love, Amelia, Bundles for Babies, St Georges and St Vincent.

The Delivering Joy campaign saw shoppers buy gifts for people in need as part of a national campaign.

But Dunelm Sunderland has been declared as one of the ‘hero’ stores after donating over 1600 gifts.

Nationally, more than 60,000 gifts were donated in 2022 but the people of Wearside went that extra mile.

The Sunderland store featured a Christmas tree decked with gift tags supplied by local causes, including primary schools, refuges in the area.

Customers collected a tag, bought a gift requested by the recipient and returned it to the store.

This year, with the cost-of-living crisis hitting home, store colleagues noticed that rather than toys and games, many people had put winter essentials at the top of their wish lists with items such as hats, scarves, socks, toiletries and festive food items like selection boxes in high-demand.

Children not in a fixed address were also worried that Santa wouldn’t know where to find them, making Dunelm’s donation drive even more vital.

Angela Smile, store manager at Dunelm Sunderland said: “With the cost-of-living crisis making Christmas a challenging time for many, we’re so pleased with the outcome of our campaign. It’s been a true pleasure to help deliver joy and support those in need again this year.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all our customers who have kindly donated gifts, your generosity is truly inspiring.”

The Delivering Joy campaign extended beyond gifts too, with many customers across Sunderland donating pre-loved decorations via Dunelm to find new homes in shelters or care homes that might not have had the funds to provide their own.