Gift wrapping service is a £2,000 present for Peterborough's Little Miracles

Peterborough children’s charity Little Miracles raised £2,000 from a gift wrapping service held at the Queensgate Shopping Centre.

About 60 local volunteers for Little Miracles came together at the shopping centre in the four-week run-up to Christmas and raised the money by wrapping gifts for families and shoppers.

Queensgate also invited shoppers to donate gifts to Barnardo’s from clothing to toiletries to games, anything that could make even the smallest difference to a child’s Christmas, and the public donated an incredible 1260 donations to the cause.

The shopping centre partnered with Barnardo’s for the 2022 Giving Tree, to ensure local children all enjoyed a magical Christmas Day.

Louise Evans, Head of Income Generation at Little Miracles, said: “We are extremely grateful to Queensgate Shopping Centre for giving us the opportunity to take donations in return for wrapping presents over the festive period.

"The money raised will help us to continue to be there for thousands of families of children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions across the region when they need us most.

When you have a child with a disability it can be an extremely lonely and confusing time.

"Little Miracles exists to ensure that these families are given opportunities to seek support, have fun and make memories.

"No family should have to face their journey alone.”

Lynn McNish, Strategic Children’s Services Manager, Barnardo’s Peterborough & Cambridgeshire, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by people’s generosity and it was wonderful to be able to pass on so many lovely gifts to the families we support.

“It’s a challenging time with the current cost-of living crisis, so the fact that so many people chose to donate to the appeal means a lot to us. Our families were so grateful and we know the gifts brought a lot of joy on Christmas Day, so on behalf of Barnardo’s and all our families, we would like to say a huge thank you.”

Katie Chapman, Marketing and Commercialisation at Queensgate, said: “We’re so proud of our local community for their support of such a worthwhile cause.

"It was so important that we helped children have the perfect Christmas and are so grateful to our shoppers and Barnardo’s for helping make this happen.”