GLASGOW Times readers have helped deliver around 100,000 gifts for children across the city as part of our Bank on Us campaign.

For the second year in a row, our wonderful readers have stepped up to support families struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic over the festive period.

Tens of thousands of gifts were sent into our headquarters in Bath Street and Cambuslang as well as being delivered directly to our toy bank partners.

This hard work ensured children across Glasgow were able to wake up to a Merry Christmas on December 25 yet again.

Many of our partners are enjoying a well-earned break after ringing in the new year, however, figures have started pouring in – revealing just how successful our plight to save Christmas in 2021 has been.

Glasgow’s Spirit of Christmas campaign, which is run by the Cultivating Mindfulness charity, delivered a staggering £1,045,605 worth of presents to 19,011 children throughout the city and its surrounding areas.

Glasgow Times:

READ MORE: Glasgow families gifted thousands of Xmas toys

The Muirend-based group faced a steep increase in calls for help, with a further 887 youngsters benefiting from their hard work compared with Christmas 2020.

However, it didn’t faze the team of kind-hearted volunteers who spent their festive period as busy as Santa’s elves, prepping toys for children in need.

In a statement, the group said: “Over the past eight years this group has helped to bring the magic of Christmas to an incredible 82,898 children and donated £3.2 million worth of toys and gifts to families in need in and around Glasgow having a tough time.

“A tremendous service all done with 100% pure love, kindness, generosity, teamwork and volunteering.

“The sincere gratitude we are feeling right now is immense for everyone in this community and to our members who have also struggled in some way over the past year and yet have still been determined to make a difference for others. You are all angels.”

Meanwhile, actor David Hayman’s Spirit Aid appeal has only increased in its referrals, more than 5000 children received gifts in 2019 but it was more than double that in 2020.

The team have said its “incredible” the amount of donations it has gathered over the course of the year, which also includes hundreds of food hampers to help families celebrate on the big day.

This year’s total is expected to be closer to around 15,000 families benefiting from the annual campaign.

Glasgow Times:

READ MORE: Glasgow's Pollokshields Primary makes final donation

Organiser Patrick Rolnik said: “We have lost count of the number of years we have been trying to make sure that those in our communities don’t go hungry during the festive holidays and that Santa visits a child who might not get a visit without a bit of help, but this is a year like nothing we have experienced before.

“We have never seen this many requests for help as we have had this year. It is overwhelming.”

He added: “The last year seen Spirit Aid deliver more food hampers than ever before, support more families facing severe fuel poverty than ever before and witness the relenting poverty faced by the ‘working poor’.

“Without the kindness and generosity of many people and the financial support from the Celtic FC Foundation, Spirit Aid would have been overwhelmed by the poverty that is so prevalent in our communities.

“We offer sincere thanks to our incredible volunteers and express our huge gratitude to all those who made it possible for us to support our communities.”

Glasgow’s No1 Baby and Family Support Service (GN1BFSS) also delivered around 1602 packs of gifts for children – each included five toys for a child and a warm jacket to help youngsters throughout the winter period. While 164 families were also gifted everyday packs to help them through the festivities.

Audrey Dempsey, the charity’s founder, described it as the “hardest ever” December the group had faced.

She said: “Christmas 2021 is over and thank goodness for that. It has been the hardest, biggest challenge this charity has ever faced in its existence since 2017 and I hope we never have to relive a Christmas like that again.

“It’s been hard, but once again people came through for us, supported us, donated to us and that’s just paid off no end. All these wee kids have been happy with their Christmas packs and are hopefully still playing with them now.”

Glasgow Times:

READ MORE: Glasgow charities benefit from toy deliveries

She added: “We have a team of staff and volunteers at the charity who are absolutely second to none ... they work so hard 365 days a year – poverty just doesn’t exist at Christmas – and they are there every day.”

The Glasgow Times Bank on Us campaign worked with around a dozen toy banks throughout the city and surrounding areas to help increase the number of gifts donated for little ones.

Our sponsors, Storage Vault, Pandamonium Play Centre and the Emmie Smillie Charity Foundation, also played a major role in helping to collect presents, handle drop-offs and even assist in our fundraising efforts.

Storage Vault boss John McGlynn donated a whopping £5000 to our cash appeal.

The funds allowed Santa’s little helpers – in the form of Glasgow Times staff – race around A1 Toys to buy an incredible £10,000 worth of gifts to ensure no-one went without a present on Christmas Day.

With the help of our sponsors and our incredible readers, we have saved Christmas for Glasgow’s children once again.