Extra help for Kirklees families thanks to Christmas campaign

The high street giants new campaign, inspired by the kindness shown by the British public during the pandemic, encourages viewers to ‘Give A Little Love’ to others and support leading family support charity Home-Start, and UK’s largest food redistribution charity, FareShare.

Customer donations up to the value of £2m will be match funded by a donation from the John Lewis Partnership.

A further £1m will be donated by the retailers’ shops who are actively partnering with FareShare and Home-Start and a range of local family charities.

There are more than 180 local independent charities that make up the Home-Start network across the UK, including eight in Yorkshire.

As an example, Home-Start Kirklees supports families across the district by building trusting relationships and providing tailor-made support to meet their individual needs.

The charity supported 378 children and 276 parents last year and families are supported either in the home or by attending group sessions or a combination of both.

Kerri Flanagan, Director at Home-Start Kirklees, said she was "delighted" to pair with fellow Home-Start Leeds to work in partnership with local John Lewis and Waitrose stores.

She said: "This campaign will reach families living in communities in West Yorkshire who really need our help and support. We look forward to the year ahead working closely with our new colleagues at the John Lewis Partnership."

Since the pandemic started over one third of local Home-Starts - local community networks of trained volunteers and expert support who help families with young children through their challenging times - have seen an increase in demand for its services.