Unprecedented and amazing’ kindness has seen charity Pete’s Dragons send a record number of Christmas hampers to suicide bereaved families in the South West.
Donations of gifts, food and festive items flooded in to the Exmouth-based cause and volunteers devoted an entire weekend to painstakingly filling personalised packages for some 60 recipients.
Collections for the campaign were held at The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth and in supermarket foyers, including Sainsbury’s in Ottery St Mary and Tesco in Exmouth, as well as in offices and schools.
“The support we have received this year has been unprecedented – it’s amazing,” said Pete’s Dragons CEO Alison Jordan, who put in 15-hour days to pack the hampers.
“They are not just thrown together, they are bespoke. It’s quite a skill to pack them as you know each family and you pick things they will really like. It is a wonderful feeling.”
Hundreds of families who have lost a loved-one to suicide have received hampers in recent years - with grateful beneficiaries saying they were ‘utterly speechless’ and ‘overwhelmed’ by the gesture.
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