Calderdale home care company is launching its annual Santa-gram festive gifting scheme

The team at Home Instead Calderdale are working with seven primary schools, one after-school club and two local knitting groups to make gifts. The children will be putting their creative talent to good use, designing Christmas cards and decorations and the older children will be writing letters to donate to older people across Calderdale.

Community group, The Knit & Natter Group were delighted to get involved in this year’s Christmas Santa-gram campaign, creating some much needed quilted blankets and knitted muffs for older people to help keep them warm this winter. Last year Home Instead received 1,452 Santa-grams and the team hopes to smash that record this year!

Since starting the campaign two years ago during the COVID pandemic lockdown, Home Instead has delivered thousands of Santa-grams to members of the local community.

Owner of Home Instead Calderdale Munaf Patel said: “A lot of older people in the community are missing out on the companionship, care, and love that many of us simply take for granted. We want to do something to help, and the campaign is a nice way to bring several different generations together.”

Calder Quilters, meet fortnightly at The Maurice Jagger Centre, Halifax and their Chair person commented: "We heard about Home Instead's Santa-gram Campaign and approached them to see how we might get involved. As a result our members have been busy creating quilted lap blankets, backed with fleece to help elderly people stay warm this winter and a set of Twiddle Muffs which make great presents for people with dementia, who find it comforting to keep their hands and fingers occupied."

Margaret Caulfield of the Knit & Natter Group at St. Andrew's Methodist Church, Huddersfield Road, Halifax, said, “Given the worrying Cost of Living Crisis, we wanted to do something to help some of the people who will be worrying about their heating costs this winter.”

"We welcomed the chance to get involved with Home Instead’s Santa-gram campaign and our members have been busy creating warm blankets and muffs for the elderly.”

Home Instead will be delivering the Santa-grams from Monday, December 5. If your organisation, church or community group would like to receive Santa-grams, contact Julie Ingham on 01422 292424 or email; [email protected].