CHILDREN and their mothers at a York refuge have given heartfelt thanks to Press readers for helping to save their Christmas.

Kind-hearted readers braved icy roads and pavements to deliver hundreds of toys, jigsaws, board games, teddies, books and perfumes, as well as food, to our Walmgate headquarters last month in response to our annual Toys & Tins Appeal.

The toys and other gifts went to the York Women’s Aid refuge to ensure children and mothers affected by domestic abuse did not go without presents on Christmas Day, while the food went to the Salvation Army to help create almost 90 Christmas hampers for poverty-stricken people of all ages across the area.

Now children at the refuge have created a thank-you card to show their gratitude to all those people who gave so generously.

Refuge manager Lesley McNulty said: “I would like to thank you for your time and effort in collecting the many wonderful presents that you donated to the families in the refuge. We received some fantastic items this year, which we hadn’t expected bearing in mind the current economic climate.

“The gifts were very much appreciated at this time of year, when families are struggling to make Christmas fun for the children.

“Most children leave behind their much-loved toys and games, so to receive the toys and gifts was most welcome.”

She said ten families had benefited from the gifts, as well as families being supported out in the community by staff, and would like to send their thanks. “We have enclosed a thank you card made by the children.

“It is the people like yourselves that make the difference to those less fortunate at this time of year.”

In the card, a note says: “The ladies from the refuge thank you for your kind and considerate donations, received with appreciation.”

Beryl Holliday, of the Salvation Army, has previously thanked readers, saying food donations were particularly important at Christmas as the organisation had been asked to create more parcels than normal but had received less food from York’s Harvest Festivals last autumn.

GRATITUDE: The front cover of a thank-you card received from the families at the refuge