Instead of hosting a ‘Secret Santa’ festive event, staff at HC-One’s Berry Hill Park care home made donations to food banks and homeless shelters.

The charitable idea was thought up by wellbeing coordinator Kristina King, and supported by all her colleagues at the home.

They normally exchange Secret Santa gifts to one another but decided contributing towards charity during the coronavirus pandemic was a much kinder gift.

Within days the team filled three large boxes with food, ready to be taken to a foodbank as well as charitable homeless projects in the area.

The Rev Dr Caroline Phillips, who runs the local foodbank and Hall Homeless project out of St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Mansfield, said: “I am delighted with these donations. They will be divided between the local food bank and our homeless projects.”