Children and families in need across Scotland will receive donations of money, food and gifts courtesy of building contractor McDermott Group this Christmas.

A fleet of McDermott Group vans driven by staff dressed as Christmas elves will deliver donations to foodbanks in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greenock, Hawick and Livingston and will also deliver presents to young carer services in Galashiels and Motherwell run by national charity Action for Children.

In total, the company is donating £4,500 worth of cash, food and gifts to help people in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and West Lothian this festive season. This follows on from last year when Santa-driven McDermott Group vans delivered £3,000 worth of donations to communities across Glasgow and Inverclyde.

The elves will be visiting Motherwell to deliver presents to children and young people supported by Action for Children’s North Lanarkshire Young Carers service and will also be visiting The Pavilion Cinema in Galashiels to gift cinema cards to young carers supported by the charity’s Scottish Borders CHIMES service. In addition to these deliveries, the building contractor’s staff are volunteering to use their vans to help Action for Children distribute presents from Scottish Water to the charity’s centres. McDermott Group has an ongoing partnership with Action for Children which has included previous fundraising activities and employing young people through the charity to undertake training programmes at McDermott Group sites in Glasgow and Inverclyde.

Donations to five foodbanks are also being given by McDermott Group to help stop hunger amongst those living below the poverty line this Christmas. They will be visiting Community One Stop Shop’s Broomhouse Foodbank in Edinburgh, ng homes’ Possilpark Foodbank in Glasgow, Inverclyde Foodbank in Greenock, the Salvation Army Foodbank in Hawick and West Lothian Foodbank in Livingston.

The building contractor engaged with foodbank charity The Trussell Trust, West Lothian Council and Edinburgh City Council, along with housing associations ng homes, River Clyde Homes and Scottish Borders Housing Association, to find local foodbanks to receive their deliveries. The McDermott Group elves will be dropping in on those organisations’ head offices during their delivery runs to bring them some added festive spirit.

Julie Lunt, senior fundraiser at Action for Children, said: “Action for Children are delighted that McDermott Group will once again be making Christmas a little brighter for the children we support. This year they will be supporting young carers in North Lanarkshire­­­ and the Scottish Borders.

“These children are as young as eight years old and care for a sick parent or relative, taking on adult responsibilities, and often miss out on their childhood. Thanks to the generosity of McDermott Group, the young carers will get a chance to experience the magic of Christmas that they may otherwise have missed out on.”

Ann McLaughlan, Scotland partnership co-ordinator for The Trussell Trust, said: “We are delighted that McDermott Group has agreed to support The Trussell Trust this year. There are huge demands on the foodbanks throughout the year but Christmas time is the most difficult when families struggle the most. These food donations to foodbanks will make such a huge difference and ensure we have enough food to give to all our clients. I would also like to pass on my sincere thanks to the Elves who will be delivering to the foodbanks chosen by McDermott Group.”

Darren McDermott, managing director of McDermott Group, added: “From our previous Christmas activity with the charities Action for Children and the Trussell Trust and from speaking to them and other organisations this year, we understand how difficult the festive period can be for a variety of people across Scotland. That is why we are going even bigger this Christmas, increasing our donations and making deliveries to even more communities.

“The work done by foodbank charities to provide food for people in need is a valuable and essential service, while Action For Children young carers services make a real difference to the lives of children and young people who look after someone in their family who is unwell or disabled. McDermott Group is currently working on a number of local projects in Scotland and it is important for us that we give back. That is why our elves will be delivering donations to help disadvantaged families and young carers this Christmas.”