THE Christmas wishes of some of the most vulnerable and needy young people have been granted once more 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 140 presents to the management team at Action for Children North Lanarkshire Young Carers at the organisation’s headquarters in Motherwell.
The service 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 third 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 two 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 plus Project Team Leader Carla Maguire and her colleague Jason Lyttle by Procast’s Derek Innes, Barry Chisholm, Kirstie Adams and Megan Ballantyne.
The carers in attendance were Barry, Keith, Mathew, Bethany, Angela, Hannah and Chloe, who were extremely grateful.
North Lanarkshire Council is a “Key Customer” of Procast, and the company first identified the Action for Children service as a cause in need of support two years ago.
Group Managing Director Derek 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 Children provides for these kids is second to none and potentially the only respite they have and they are able to connect with other kids in similar circumstances, where they have 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.
“This year, we got the chance to meet the older kids who are stepping out into the working world and we are looking into providing support as they make this leap.”
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 has been particularly stressful and challenging for some, due to COVID, and the gifts will bring some much-needed joy to the young people.
Procast also handed over presents and selection boxes to various charities throughout East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and beyond – sticking to their ethos of giving back too the communities in which they operate.
Suppliers who kindly donated to the cause were:
