It has been a race against time for Clare Harwood as she dashed across West Yorkshire handing out Christmas presents.
The secret Santa found herself with dozens of presents and no-one to give them to after missing a West Yorkshire radio station’s collection deadline.
The 26-year-old care worker from Milnsbridge was touched by the radio station’s Christmas appeal for presents for needy children.
She launched an appeal on Facebook and suddenly she had 91 to give away but when she contacted The Pulse’s Secret Santa Toy Appeal to hand over the gifts she was dismayed to find she had missed the deadline.
But she was determined to repay the good faith of people who had given the presents and set about distributing them on her own roping in dad Chris as he has a larger car than hers.
Clare said things got off to an odd start when she found herself with dozens more presents courtesy of Wayne Naylor, who runs the Six Lane Ends pub in Heckmondwike.
So with around 250 presents to give away and the clock ticking Clare got cracking.
Thirty were handed out to children at Calderdale Royal Hospital and as Huddersfield Royal Infirmary had enough of its own a further 40 were despatched to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Clare said: “Another 13 were given to needy families on a street in Longwood while another 50 or 60 presents and 60 selection boxes were given to Pink Petals in Golcar who are working with Golcar Methodist Church to help families on Christmas Day. Another batch went to National Children’s Centre.
“It’s been great fun but I will be glad when they are all delivered. I’ve never done anything like this before but I will definitely be looking to do something similar next year.”
Her proud mum Sharon said: “Clare got there in the end which is all that matters.”
