Schoolboy shares Christmas joy with 1,000th donation

Hundreds of children across West Yorkshire will have something to open on Christmas morning thanks to a caring schoolboy who has donated around 1,000 presents to Batley Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal, which makes sure vulnerable children don’t go without a gift. 

This is the third year that 12-year-old Oscar, from Cleakheaton, has collected presents to donate to the church and charity. This year he donated around 600 gifts, which after donating 200 in 2022 and 250 in 2023 brings the amount he has gifted altogether to over 1,000. 

Keen to share the joy of Christmas, Oscar used some of his birthday and Christmas money to get started and with the help of family, friends, customers of his parents’ business and his school BBG Academy in Birkenshaw, he delivered a school bus load of toys, dolls, jigsaws, books, arts and craft sets, and much more to The Salvation Army in Bradford Road. 

The Christmas Present Appeal collects donations of new gifts to distribute to families who are struggling financially, bringing a smile to the faces of thousands of children on Christmas morning. Last year, The Salvation Army donated 84,000 gifts to children across the UK. 

Oscar said: “I’m grateful to all the people who decided to help and make this what it is. It makes me feel good about myself because I’m helping people. My friends have been really supportive and have been donating and the school set up donation points too. Without the school, I don’t think we would have got as many, I’m so grateful that they chipped in.” 

Oscar’s mum Emma, 44, said: “I can’t comprehend what he’s achieved with it. It started as something out of the blue a couple of years ago after a conversation we had about how you spread the joy of Christmas for younger children who believe in Santa, but whose parents can’t afford to put presents under the tree. 

“We thought we would have a couple of carrier bags to donate, but the first year the response blew us away and it has again this year. It’s a community effort. Oscar initiated it, but it’s the people going out of their way to buy gifts and drop them off who make the difference. 

“We are already thinking about who will receive these presents. It shocks me when I read about the amount of referrals The Salvation Army gets for its appeal every year, so knowing that Oscar is helping to take that pressure off families is a nice thing. Even Father Christmas needs a little bit of help! 
 

“I hope that other children feel the same and want to help others so the cycle continues. People might be encouraged to donate themselves, but this also this lets people know that they can reach out and they don’t have to take all of the burden on themselves, there is help out there.”  

When they first started collecting donations, Emma was contacted by people who had been helped by The Salvation Army including one woman who found herself homeless and in emergency accommodation before Christmas and had told her children that Christmas wouldn’t be happening that year, but then The Salvation Army turned up with a box of gifts. 

Major Paul Wilson, who leads Batley Salvation Army with his wife Major Carolyn, said last year they provided gifts to 500 children, a big increase on the year before and they expect need to be high again this year. 

He said: “Oscar is making a big difference to families in Batley and the surrounding area, helping to make Christmas special for children who otherwise would wake up on Christmas morning without gifts to open. 

“I can honestly say that without Oscar’s contribution we would not be able to meet this need. It’s his big donation that makes a massive difference, so thank you Oscar.” 

BBG Academy set up drop off points and hosted a Christmas Fair to raise money towards Oscar’s campaign. 

Clare Sanderson, the Head of Year Seven at BBG Academy, said: “As a school we are really proud of him. It’s such a lovely thing for young person to do. Staff and students have brought in donations and got behind it as they were just blown away by his kindness and the idea of giving the joy to someone else.”

The Salvation Army campaign in Batley has closed for this year with gifts having been sorted and distributed to children and families in the area through local groups, schools and social services.