THE Christmas wishes of some of the most vulnerable and needy young people have been granted for a fourth time by Procast, who answered their letters to Santa to make sure each and every one of them has a gift to open on December 25.
The company handed over 135 presents to the management team at Action for Children North Lanarkshire Young Carers Service at the organisation’s new headquarters in Dalziel Street, Motherwell, today (December 20, 2022).
The service – which is run in conjunction with South Lanarkshire Young Carers by Action For Carers – raises awareness and identifies and provides direct support to kids who are forced to help to look after someone in their family for a variety of reasons.
This is the fourth year in a row that Procast have made the extraordinary gesture after hearing of the plight of the young carers in their local area, some of whom are as young as eight.
As in the previous three years, the company approached the organisation to ask the youngsters to each write down their Christmas wish and pledged that they would make it come true.
The aim is to ensure that these young people who carry such heavy family responsibilities and who are living in challenging day-to-day circumstances – frequently in low-income settings affected by drugs and alcohol misuse – do not go without a deserved present on the big day.
The gifts were handed over directly to some of the young carers in the company of Locality Services Manager for North and South Ian Sloan, Project Team Leader (North) Carla Maguire and Young Persons Practitioner Jason Lyttle as well as Procast’s Barry Chisholm and Kirstie Adams.
North Lanarkshire Council is a “Key Customer” of Procast, and the company first identified the Action for Carers service as a cause in need of support four years ago.
A Procast spokesman said: “We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to enjoy a happy and positive childhood and help to guide them into their adulthood and fulfil their potential.
“This is why we are always eager to help and partner up with Action For children, as these young carers may not have this opportunity at home due to the responsibilities they have of caring for their family members through illness, disability or misuse of drugs or alcohol.
“The service that Action For Carers provides for these kids is second to none and potentially the only respite they have.
“Plus, they are able to connect with other kids in similar circumstances, while having the chance to lean on the great staff for guidance, particularly the older kids with CV’s etc.
“We are, as always, honoured and humbled to make a small difference. For the past four years, the young carers are given the chance to write a Christmas wish list, which Procast fulfil to the best of our ability.
“Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when we deliver their presents makes what we do all year worthwhile.”
Carla said: “We really appreciate all of the lovely Christmas gifts which Procast have donated to Action for Children North Lanarkshire Young Carers Project once again. We were overwhelmed by the amount of gifts! All have been specially selected for each young person and have been beautifully wrapped.”
This year, Procast were also able to extend their generosity to more than 90 residents of Home Group at the project they are working on in Cumbria, along with more than 1,000 selection boxes handed out to various local charities and schools.
The company spokesman added: “Our thanks is extended to our subcontractors and suppliers once again, as they very kindly donate to the children year after year – and without them this would not always be possible.”
