We have been blown away by the acts of kindness, wholesomeness and generosity displayed by residents across the county to help others who would have otherwise found this Christmas to be particularly challenging.
Here, we take a look at just a handful of these selfless acts demonstrated by members of the public and local businesses.
1. Christmas Toy Appeal raised £15,000
Readers have helped Mother Christmas, Jeanette Walsh, raise much needed funds to continue her annual toy appeal. Switching to an online giving page, hosted by county-based The Faraway Children’s Charity, donations are set to smash the £15,000 mark.The funds have been spent on providing presents for more than 5,000 disadvantaged children and young people who would otherwise have no present to open on Christmas Day.
2. Over 400 festive dinners delivered by team of Northampton organisations
Northampton pub landlady turned charity founder, Teresa McCarthy-Dixon, teamed up with The Community Courtyard, The Shamrock Club, The Umbrella Fair, Bite Street and Smoke Pit to deliver hot Christmas dinners and hampers to those in the community who need support. The 400 dinners were delivered on Decemnber 23 and 24. Over 200 Christmas hampers containing ingredients to cook festive meals was also delivered.
3. The Lewis Foundation gifts 100 surprise Christmas hampers to cancer patients going through treatment alone
Northampton charity, The Lewis Foundation was only expecting to hand out 30 hampers to cancer patients and felt the effects of human kindness when donations and businesses helped to make up 88 more!
4. West Haddon Primary School raises over £4,000 for Northamptonshire's disadvantaged children on 'walk' to Lapland
Last month, the boys and girls of West Haddon Endowed CE Primary School set out on an expedition to "walk" the 1,400 miles from their Daventry District school to Lapland in a mission to visit Santa. In just four weeks, the young adventurers smashed their target and clocked up over 4,000 miles between them.Because of them, hundreds of children and families, who had a difficult year, were able to enjoy a special Christmas.