Lichfield company brings joy to elderly at Christmas
A campaign organised by a kind-hearted Lichfield company has brought joy to many this Christmas.
Kym Morris and a dedicated team of employees from Legionella and Fire Safe Services set up Stockings for Smiles as part of a mission to combat loneliness.
The initiative targeted support for elder members of society with the company linking up with Age UK Staffordshire.
Recognising that Christmas can be a particularly lonely time for many, Kym, whose mum Veronica has dementia, felt compelled to take action.
Her vision for Stockings for Smiles was to bring joy to the lives of those who may be feeling isolated and forgotten by delivering goodies, including small gifts, puzzles, books, and gadgets to help keep people occupied.
Kym said: "Grange Care Home showed me, with my mum, how important it is to keep active.
"She was bed bound but through the wonderful work of the staff at the Grange is now doing daily activities and is dancing, and singing.
"That gave me the idea to do this because they helped bring my mum back to me and I wanted to help others in a similar situation."
Seven team members from Legionella and Fire Safe Services donned their elf costumes and visited the Age UK Staffordshire Head Office in Penkridge armed with over 180 Stockings for Smiles to deliver the gifts.
"The atmosphere was electric as we distributed the stockings to day centre visitors," said Kym. "Many of them have no relatives and often experience profound loneliness.
"The impact was immediate and heartwarming and faces lit up with excitement and joy."
The team sat with the recipients, opening the stockings and sharing in the delight.
Carl Bennett, CEO of Age UK Staffordshire, said: "Many of our clients experience dementia and the Elves spent time with each and every one helping un-wrap gifts and having a general chat. They even got everyone singing Christmas songs. Our clients had a wonderful time with lots of smiles and laughs."
