A CHARITY is pulling together to ensure that up to 4,000 people can share the Christmas cheer.

Urban Outreach helps some of the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and complex adults and young people in the area.

Now around 150 of its volunteers, including Bolton Mayor, Cllr Lynda Byrne, have been working around the clock to ensure that 1,300 packages are filled with festive treats to be sent to some of these people.

Chicken, sausages, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, cranberry sauce, minced pies, crackers and Christmas pudding have all been donated by schools, churches and other organisations. Once filled, each package will be delivered to a person or family nominated to receive one.

Dave Bagley, chief executive of Urban Outreach said: “The great thing is getting everyone together helping and that is what this time of year is all about.

“Christmas is when Jesus came to this earth to help people and in a way we are doing the same here for people who are really struggling in some way. If we can give them some hope and belief in fellow humanity then that has got to be a good thing.”

Dry items like oranges, apples, clementines, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and sprouts are being packaged first, followed by the more perishable items such as poultry and cheese.

All of the packages will be collected by the organisations that have nominated each person or family on Friday and delivered in time for the big day.

Mr Bagley said: “Most of the items in the hampers are donated and they have absolutely everything that you might need for Christmas. Bolton School, for instance, collected all the mince pies for us, Bolton Council staff donated all of the Christmas puddings and numerous churches donated lots of other dry items. Lots of different organisations help us collect the items and then they nominate the people who they think the packages should go out to.

“Bolton At Home for example will come and take over 100 hampers to take to their most needy tenants and the churches have numerous people that they know who they want to send them to.

With more and more volunteers wanting to help the cause, especially at this time of year, Mr Bagley was keen to stress how important it was to attract more and more people to help.

He said: “We have noticed more and more volunteers are coming to join us and that is a big help, especially at this time of year. But we can only keep doing this kind of thing with the help of other agencies and partners that we have worked with for over 20 years and if we didn’t have their support and help then it would not be possible.”

Bolton’s Mayor, helping out for the day with husband and ex-Mayor John Byrne, said: “It’s just wonderful. The atmosphere here is really good and we are having such a laugh.

“I have a number of charities that I help but my theme this year is voluntary work and I recognise a number of faces here today who regularly do voluntary work so hat’s off to them. It’s really nice.”

Established in 1990, Urban Outreach has expanded to a team of 18 staff and over 250 volunteers who now provide regular support to the local community.

After starting out by helping homeless people find accommodation, the charity now also works with families whose children have run away from home and with ex-offenders.

They are also actively involved in different food projects that works with children and adults and teaches them how to cook on a budget and also runs Summer Lunches Project, providing lunches to children outside of term-time.

To get involved with Urban Outreach contact 01204 385848 or info@urbanoutreach.co.uk