Children at a primary academy in Wakefield have been getting into the festive spirit spreading Christmas joy by making Christmas cheer boxes for residents at Ashby Lodge Residential Home.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, children at Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate have used the time they would have usually spent on practising nativities and performances to create a way of spreading festive cheer.

This led to a Christmas cheer box being created for every resident at Ashby Lodge Residential Home, based on Leeds Road in Outwood.

Lynsey Hadfield, Principal at the Canal Lane-based primary academy, said:

“This year has been a tough one for everyone and sadly because of the social restrictions in place we have been unable to put on our usual nativity and festive performances.

“As we had time freed up by this, the children wanted to help spread some Christmas cheer in a different way this year. Judging by the looks on the staffs' faces when we delivered the boxes, it certainly seems the children were successful in spreading Christmas cheer.”

After discussions with the residential home, each year group at the academy worked collaboratively to create an item for each resident. Once all the items were completed by each year group, one of each different item was put into a special personalised Christmas cheer box for each Ashby Lodge resident.

The items created by the children ranged from hand sewn tree decorations, paper streamers, to calendars and cards.

Paula Mathery, Manager of Ashby Lodge, said: “What an outstanding lot of work that has been put into our boxes, sent not only for the residents but for the staff too. The residents have been so overjoyed going through the boxes and seeing what the children have handmade, a lot of which have been added to our Christmas trees and part of our Christmas decor. 

“It is such a joy knowing that at this very difficult time we are thought about from our community and children. The staff were also overjoyed with the gifts that were brought in for us.

“Thank you and well done to all the children and staff at Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate.”