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Kind-hearted NHS staff have played their part in a community initiative that aims to ensure no child in towns and villages across an area of Northumberland is without a present on Christmas Day.

Despite the pressures of working in a busy A&E, the emergency department team at the Northumbria Specialist Care Emergency Hospital (NSECH) in Cramlington have donated dozens of gifts to this year’s Wansbeck Christmas Campaign.

The scheme – which was started in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to support families who were struggling – provides Christmas presents for children across Ashington, Bedlington, Choppington, Morpeth, Newbiggin and Pegswood.

The campaign provided more than 60 gift tags containing names and ages of children with a gift that they would like. The tags were hung on a small tree in the staff room and then taken by staff members to buy the item for the child.

From left, senior sister Lisa Dandie, housekeeper Carla Liddle and clinical support worker Krysia Pollard from the emergency department at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.

Laura Alderson, the emergency department manager at NSECH, said: “There was an amazing response from the team as the tags were all taken really quickly and have had to be replaced several times.

“Everyone in the department has been working so hard to provide the best care possible to patients during what has been an extremely busy time, so it is really heart-warming that everyone has been so keen to support this initiative. It just shows how caring and compassionate they are.

“Thanks to Lisa Dandie and Carla Liddle for organising this and thanks to everyone who has donated a gift to support this brilliant community campaign.”

For more information about the initiative, go to the Wansbeck Christmas Campaign Facebook page. It includes a link to an online GoFundMe page where people can make financial donations to the campaign.

Last year, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust launched its award-winning Our Community Promise programme as it recognised the important role it plays in many different ways in communities across Northumberland, North Tyneside and beyond.

It is a pledge to focus on all the ways it can improve people’s lives, pushing the boundaries of what an NHS trust can be by focusing on how it can have an even larger impact for everyone who lives and works in the area and wider region.

Caring NHS staff in Northumberland staff throw support behind community Christmas campaign for children