Volunteers deliver 137 Christmas hampers to struggling Melton people

This was the fourth year that local groups Helping the Isolated, the Brownlow School Wellbeing Hub and Melton Learning Hub have joined forces to ensure that adults and children can all enjoy a proper festive meal.

Items were donated by individual households and local businesses with 137 hampers distributed between Thursday and Christmas Eve.

Sharon Brown, one of those leading the team from Helping the Isolated, told the Melton Times: “The hampers were so needed this year for so many people in the Melton area.

"And the messages we had back from families really made everything so worth it.

"The messages were so heart-warming.“One family sent a message which said ‘without this hamper we would not be sat around the Christmas table, you don’t realise what it means’.”

Sarah Cox, from the learning hub, bought 130 chickens to include in the hampers, with discounted prices from Morrison’s supermarket, in Thorpe End, via their community champion, Rob Morrish.

Food was also donated by Sainsbury’s in Melton.

Other local businesses and organisations which helped with the hampers were LOL Contracts, Melton Mowbray Round Table, The Melton Clinic, Melton Sports, Steph’s Taxis, Sycamore Energy Assessors and Ag Removals.

Sharon added: “So many people in the community helped with the hampers this year.

"Without their help we would never have been able to help so many people this Christmas.”