With the help of MCN Limited, who transported all the food, they all teamed up over three days to distribute bags of food at multiple community centres as bag collection points, delivered to sheltered schemes and went door-to-door around some of their homes.

Barrhead Housing also worked with two of its contractors to support communities this winter. Firstly, MCN Limited, which is delivering their kitchen replacement contract, have donated £1,000 to Nelly Boxes Christmas Gift Appeal to ensure children in East Renfrewshire do not go without a Christmas present this year.

Nelly Boxes is a baby bank that provides baby equipment and clothes from Auchenback Resource Centre every Wednesday between 11.30am and 1pm. Last year Nelly Boxes provided 138 young people with a Christmas present after the recipients, mostly from Barrhead, had been referred by health visitors. This year Nelly Boxes is aiming to repeat last year’s success through its Christmas Gift Appeal.

Nicola from Nelly Boxes said: “We don’t quite know what to say. That’s unbelievably generous. We’re hugely appreciative of it, and it’s going to go a long way in making a good few children’s Christmases. We can’t thank you all enough.”

Donna Rodgers from MCN added: “MCN are delighted to help the Barrhead community and we feel that Nelly Boxes is a very worthwhile project which we were keen to support. Good Luck to Nicola and thank you for all your hard work in the Christmas gift appeal.”

Secondly, Barrhead Housing’s heating contractor James Frew donated 800 selection boxes which the team distributed with the food bags and donated to Incahootz Drama Group, Dunterlie Food Share, Auchenback Active and Carlibar Campus Parent Council for its youngest customers and to community groups that Barrhead works closely with.

The selection boxes also become gifts at Barrhead Housing’s annual Christmas Party for its customers’ families, where arts and crafts, party games and food were a plenty, but most importantly, a visit from Santa Claus himself, who got to meet all the families and distribute some toys and gifts to Barrhead Housing’s youngest customers.

Barrhead Housing’s community investment manager, Bryan Dando, said: “It’s been a monumental effort from partners and Barrhead staff coming together to be able to provide all this support and activity for our customers, I think some of the staff both internal and external could empathise with the Elves at the North Pole at this time of year.”

Lorna Wilson, chief executive, said: “Times are extremely hard for a lot of people at the moment, and with extra pressures at this time of year, we wanted to do everything we could to help spread some Christmas cheer. Thank you to our fantastic partners who worked alongside the team to show our customers and communities how much we care. On behalf of the team and board, I’d like to wish all of our customers a merry Christmas and all the very best for 2024.”