YOUNG carers and their parents have issued a heartfelt thanks to Procast for playing Santa to them this Christmas.
They expressed their gratitude after the company donated gifts to 140 young people who are forced to look after an older relative for a variety of reasons.
Procast handed over the presents to the management team at Action for Children North Lanarkshire Young Carers at the organisation’s headquarters in Motherwell on December 16.
The company had asked the youngsters to each write down their Christmas wish and pledged that they would make it come true.
Procast 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.
The aim was 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, did not go without a deserved present on the big day.
After the gifts were passed on directly by the carers’ management team to the young people last week, their parents expressed their gratitude.
One mum said: “Thank you so much for the beautiful gifts. My daughter, who is nine, is over the moon. Thank you for your incredible kindness. It means more than you know.”
Another mum said “Thanks so much for the gifts. My daughter, who is 11, loves them, and I am sure we will play the game a few times over the Christmas period.
“It is so kind that these gifts are donated, and we all appreciate them so very much. Have a great Christmas and an even better 2021.”
North Lanarkshire Young Carers Project Team Leader Carla Maguire said: “A huge thank you to everyone at Procast for all of the very thoughtful and generous Christmas gifts for our young carers.
“We really appreciate that the young carers were able to choose a gift of their choice and in doing this, you have made their Christmas wishes come true!
“Also, the gifts were beautifully wrapped and we appreciate all the time that went into organising and wrapping them.
“This year has been particularly challenging for everyone and this has brought added pressures for our young carers and their families. Therefore, the Christmas gifts gave some much needed joy and happiness to our families.
“As a team, we have been able to visit all of the families (on their doorsteps) and pass on your lovely gifts. We loved doing this, as we were able to see the young people’s great big smiles and happy faces when they received their gifts.
“All the carers and their parents were extremely grateful and delighted with their gifts – there were some tears from some of the parents too, who were overcome by your kindness.”
