Generous shoppers buy gifts for strangers listed on Craft Coop tree

The true spirit of Christmas is alive and well if the Craft Coop’s Christmas tree is anything to go by.

One hundred paper baubles, each bearing the name and age of a toddler, child, teenager, young adult or elderly person who might not otherwise get a present this Christmas, were placed on the ‘giving tree’ in the shop in the Nicholsons Centre on Thursday, November 22.

The idea is that customers take away one of the named baubles, buy and wrap a present for that person and bring it to the shop, putting it under the tree by Friday, December 14.

Within two days, all 100 names were gone, and another 100 names were added which, by Wednesday, had all been taken too.

The names of suitable recipients were given to Craft Coop by Sue Brett, of the Brett Foundation, which supports homeless people.

Sue will give out the presents to the intended recipients in the days before Christmas.

Deborah Jones, the director of the Craft Coop, said: “Apparently Susan has 800 names.

“The fact that people are being so generous, who knows how many people we can help?”