A WASTE company has teamed up with two councils in launching an appeal to ensure that children experiencing hardship will receive a Christmas gift this year.

Yorwaste, North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council have joined forces for the ‘Reuse Santa Appeal’ to get donations of good quality used toys, games and books into the hands of young people experiencing tough times this Christmas.

The appeal is also asking for gifts suitable for young teenagers, who may be living alone or acting as carers.

In recent months, some food banks in North Yorkshire have seen requests for food parcels more than double, so with little or no money to spare for presents, many children will be preparing for a tough Christmas this year.

The Reuse Santa Appeal has been created to allow more fortunate members of the public who are visiting any of the 22 Household Waste Recycling Centres operated by Yorwaste, to bring clean, good quality, functioning and complete gifts, suitable for young people aged up to 18, to be placed in the designated collection areas.

Once received, the donations will rest for at least 72 hours before being disinfected and passed on to relevant agencies to distribute.

Teri Owens, team manager at No Wrong Door which is facilitating the initiative said: “This appeal has the power to transform Christmas for many young people."