Alana Buckmaster, Sophia and Arabella Lipscomb and Natalia Hardingham learning how to make crisp packet blanketsAlana Buckmaster, Sophia and Arabella Lipscomb and Natalia Hardingham learning how to make crisp packet blankets
Alana Buckmaster, Sophia and Arabella Lipscomb and Natalia Hardingham learning how to make crisp packet blankets

Children give back to the community during 12 Days of Christmas Kindness as part of childcare provider's campaign

CHILDREN have been busy doing good deeds as part of the 12 Days of Christmas Kindness campaign to spread some joy.

Growing Places, which has childcare settings across Havant, Waterlooville, Fareham, Crookhorn and Emsworth, has been helping the children in its care to give back this festive season.

After such a difficult year for so many, the group decided to launch its 12 Days of Christmas Kindness campaign on Facebook.

Children completed various acts of kindness, which have been shown each day on the 12 days running up to Christmas.

The aim is to show others the simple ways in which we can all spread a little kindness this festive season.

Belinda Lipscomb, after school club manager, said: ‘The children have really embraced doing these acts of kindness, and it's so heartwarming to see how much these children care about others and the environment.’

The children have been busy making cards for local care homes, whose residents may not receive many Christmas cards, along with socially distanced singing at Woodlands Care Home in Cowplain.

Children at the rural Little Acorns setting made fir cone bird feeders to help feathered friends this winter, and the older after school club children spent time litter picking and packing up donations for Two Saints homelessness charity and Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital.

They also spent time helping the Gosport and Fareham branch of the Crisp Packet Project to make crisp packet survival blankets for the homeless this winter and even installed a hedgehog house and feeding station in the Mill Hill nursery garden.

Belinda added: ‘The hedgehog house was a particular favourite and the children are now designing posters to help encourage the local community to create a hedgehog friendly neighbourhood through linking gardens and leaving overgrown areas to help create the wild habitat hedgehogs need.’

Christmas cheer was also spread by the kind youngsters through singing to parents during the school pickup and through practicing ‘giving thanks’ where they are encouraged to spend time thinking about all the things they are thankful for during such a difficult year.

Growing Places hopes its kindness campaign will continue into next year as they continue to look at new ways of helping their community.

Visit facebook.com/growing.places.media to see videos of the 12 Days of Kindness.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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