FESTIVE cheer will be spread to some of the most vulnerable families and individuals in Barrow this Christmas.

Westmorland and Furness Council is set to give nearly £30,000 to a project which helps people over the festive period..

Members of the Furness locality board are in line to grant £27,670 to the Christmas Support project which provides people with food, toiletries, household essentials, toys, vouchers and warm packs.

According to the report prepared for the meeting, Project John, The Salvation Army, Barrow Foodbank, Spring Mount, Age UK, Furness Multicultural Forum, Focus Families and BAE will help support the project.

Captain Sarah Griffiths, church leader for The Salvation Army in Barrow-in-Furness, said: “Our Christmas present appeal is a real community effort, and we work with a range of partner organisations and volunteers throughout Barrow that choose love, give toys and raise money to make sure that children and families know they are cared for.

“Working together to support our community is what the Christmas story inspires us to do and last year we supported 800 children with presents and with the rise in the cost-of-living, we expect referrals this year to be higher than ever before.”

Alongside funding from the council, Project John and the Salvation Army will work with local businesses and the public for the donation of toys. In addition, they are holding their regular race night and anticipate raising £1,500.

Captain Griffiths added: “Our present appeal provides gift parcels to children who would otherwise receive little or nothing on Christmas morning, and it is always thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the community in which we live in, giving families the chance to smile and ensuring no child is forgotten about.”

Barrow Food Bank will provide Christmas food packages which include a voucher for a local butcher and Spring Mount will be providing essential toiletries. Age UK will provide gloves and warm wellbeing packs for over 55’s and Furness Multicultural Forum will support asylum seekers with a small gift.

Last year the Salvation Army, Project John and Family Action supported families with toys up to the age of 11. For children over age 11, they were supported with a Love to Shop voucher and Spring Mount supported with wellbeing hampers. BAE will provide backpacks with stationery items.

In 2022 the project gave 800 toys to children under the age of 11, 285 gift vouchers to children over the age of 11 as well as providing families with 262 warm wellbeing packs. The scheme also fed 1274 people with 467 Christmas food packages.

Westmorland and Furness Council is set to approve the funding when the Furness locality board meet at Barrow Town Hall on October 18.