CHILDREN at a mother and toddler group have received a belated Christmas present - £1,000-worth of toys.
Officials from the Government's SureStart programme, which aims to give preschool children the best possible start in life, donated the money after an appeal by Sarah Hutchison.
Mrs Hutchison started the Little Angels Mother and Toddler Group, in Coundon, because the village had no facilities for new parents.
In the six months it has been running, membership has grown steadily. Now more than a dozen mothers and their children meet every Friday afternoon at the Coundon and Leeholme Community Project building in Teeswalk.
Mrs Huchison, whose daughter, Niamh, is 11 months old, said: "We have really struggled for toys, so this donation is a lifeline. Until now we have had to buy second-hand out of money collected by local fundraising."
The gifts include painting sets, toys and books.
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