Christmas blessings and heartfelt gifts will be making their way to the Mansfield Homeless Christmas Shoebox appeal (MHCS) courtesy of children at West Nottinghamshire College’s on-site nursery.

Children who attend the college’s Butterflies Day Nursery have been busy over the last few weeks supporting the MHCS by filling boxes with socks, gloves, dried food and toiletries as well as boxes of food, treats, blankets and poop bags for the homeless dogs who stay with their owners.

The appeal is part of the wider Homeless Shoebox Appeal running across the UK and recognises that every Christmas, homeless people not only have to deal with the fact that they are homeless as well as other issues, but also have to deal with the ‘happy’ part of the year, sometimes alone.

Gift boxes have been personalised for both ladies and gentlemen and over the last few weeks the children have been placing the boxes under the nursery’s Christmas tree before being delivered to the good cause.

Nursery manager Kelly McGranaghan said: “The children and their families have been very generous with packing lots of gifts into well over 25 shoe boxes.

“Each one is well thought-out and decorated beautifully and has a personal Christmas card inside. We will be taking this special deliver to the Mansfield Tesco store on Oak Tree Lane where donations are being collected before being distributed to the homeless.”