Giving Tree brings festive joy to children in care

Norfolk County Council is delighted to announce the return of the Giving Tree appeal, a cherished Christmas initiative designed to bring joy to the county's children in care. 

The Giving Tree, located at the Castle Street Waterstones in Norwich, is decorated with hundreds of tags, each representing a child and the book they wish to receive for Christmas. This heartwarming project has been a favourite among customers, with over 1,000 books purchased last year alone. 

Customers are invited to select a tag from the tree, which includes brief details about a child and their desired book or genre. After purchasing the book, customers can take it to the till, where it will be collected by Norfolk County Council, wrapped, and delivered in time for Christmas. 

The children will then receive the books on Christmas Day as a reminder that people in the county are thinking of them. 

Councillor Penny Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "The Giving Tree is a wonderful initiative that brings the joy of reading to children of all ages who are less fortunate. Norfolk County Council believes every child deserves to experience the hope and excitement of Christmas morning with a special gift. We are immensely grateful to our supporters who have made this festive moment possible for hundreds of children over the years." 

The Giving Tree is an initiative of the Norfolk Virtual School, which oversees the education of all children in care in Norfolk. The Giving Tree aims to support reading and learning by giving children in care improved access to books. 

Ben Richardson, Manager of the Waterstones branch, said: "We are always really happy to have the Giving Tree in store because our customers really love it, and we want to help to support the county's looked after children. 

"In the run up to autumn we have people coming into the store to ask us when the tree will be up, and customers find it really rewarding supporting the project. People particularly like that they are able to pick out a book for an individual child and know that they will be opening it on Christmas Day." 

The tree is in store now and books need to be bought by Sunday 1 December, to be wrapped and distributed to reach children in time for Christmas.