Local housing association Alliance Homes surprised more than 400 households with a special delivery of festive hampers to share the spirit of Christmas.

A partnership with For All Healthy Living Centre in Bournville saw colleagues join forces to bring festive cheer across North Somerset this December.

These Christmas gifts aimed to benefit households needing an injection of jubilation during the festive season.

Each hamper contained chocolates, a £25 supermarket gift voucher, and a Christmas card inviting its recipients to join community groups and activities in their local neighbourhood.

Claudette Marcano, Alliance Homes' chief finance officer, delivered some of these heart-warming packages personally.

Ms Marcano said: "It was great to go out in our communities and put a smile on people's faces.

"One lady was so delighted with her gift that she gave me a big hug and told me we’d helped to make her Christmas special!"

North Somerset Times: Alliance Homes

The hamper project was coordinated by Helen Wheelock, community growth manager at Alliance Homes.

Ms Wheelock said: "We found the recipients of the hampers by asking our Support Team, Tenancy Team and community partners to nominate those people they’d come across, who they thought might benefit from a visit and a little extra Christmas cheer.

"This year we’ve delivered far more hampers than ever before and that’s thanks to all the local businesses and organisations who answered our call and made this possible."

In an impressive show of community spirit, businesses, churches and community groups got involved.

This included Weston Lions, Quartet Community Foundation, Portishead Town Council, Jones the Builder, Allied Scaffolding, St Andrew’s Church, Low Carbon Exchange, West of England Rural Network, VANS and Race Equality North Somerset.

They collectively donated time and resources totalling more than £12,000 towards the Christmas hamper initiative.

Alliance Homes highlighted the impact of the project, demonstrating community collaboration at its finest, ultimately making the Christmas season brighter for over 400 families.