Once again this year we will be collecting Christmas gifts for prisoners’ children, which we will hand over to CrossReach, the social care arm of the Church of Scotland, at a special service on December 10.

CrossReach run a visitors’ support and advice service at HMP Perth, and a visitors’ centre family hub at HMYOI Polmont. These services offer safe, welcoming places for families to relax before and after a prison visit, which can be very stressful. For children there are toys and books, as well as free refreshments for all visitors. Keeping families in touch with prisoners can help to minimise re-offending.

Many of the children of prisoners have very little and, at Christmas time especially, they can often feel left out.

CrossReach prison visitor service aims to provide a gift at Christmas for each of the children it comes into contact with, and this is where our donations of new clothing, toys and gifts each year is vital.

Elaine Waugh, of CrossReach, explains: “We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of the congregation at Houston & Killellan Kirk and your wider community.

“Every year we have to pinch ourselves when we see how much has been donated and we are always mindful of the fact that someone has gone without something themselves to give a gift to us.

“It is wonderful to know that there are people out there who really look out for others – it reminds you that there is good in the world.”

Every one of the gifts that we give to CrossReach goes to a child who has a parent in prison. CrossReach staff spend time getting to know the families and are often able to suggest gifts for the dads to choose from the selection that we have given them.

Elaine added: “Being able to choose a gift for their children gives prisoners real joy and it helps them to build a bond with them too.

“For the prisoners, and their children, they will always remember that somebody at a church wanted to make sure they received a gift, or had a gift to give, at Christmas, and that can be very profound.”

Gifts can be handed in to our Foodbank Collection Point on November 21^st and 28^th, and December 5^th – or brought along to our Christmas Gift Service at 11am on December 10^th.

Please place NEW, unwrapped gifts in open gift bags.

There is no need to label them by age/boy/girl etc as staff at CrossReach will sort through the donations themselves, before the gifts are handed out to children.

Below are some suggestions for gift ideas to help you get started.

For children aged 3 – 5 years: Clothing, craft kits, colouring/sticker books, pen/pencil sets, Disney/action hero figures, trucks/cars, dolls, Play-Doh, jigsaws or books/Christmas Annuals

For children aged 6 – 9 years: Clothing, jewellery sets, board games, craft kits, pencil cases, pen/pencil sets, small Lego sets, Christmas Annuals/books and selection boxes

For children aged 10-plus: Clothing, craft/building sets, sand/clay modelling sets, board games, mechanical Lego/Brickheadz, gadget puzzles, Christmas Annuals/books, teen and young people annuals, boxed pens and selection boxes.

Please don’t donate anything too heavy or bulky since most families travel by public transport – thank you!