A HUNDRED less fortunate children woke up on Christmas morning with gifts thanks to a Dunbar initiative.

Dunbar Rotary Club has been working alongside Asda, BeGreen, Dunbar Library and Belhaven and St Anne’s Churches on The Angel Tree.

The scheme, which was set up in the town in 2021, aims to ensure youngsters have a present to open on Christmas Day.

For 2023, the Rotary project was led by Alison Elliott, who worked with Social Welfare to package and hand the gifts over in time.

A spokesperson for Social Welfare said: “When the gifts went out to families, it would have warmed your heart at how grateful and appreciative they all were.

“Their faces when they saw the bags was relief and joy!

“Some said they were finding this year very difficult for a variety of reasons: grief, mental health, relationship splits, not having their children on Christmas morning in blended families as well as financial struggles.”

Entertaining people

Meanwhile, Rotary members – those with singing talents – helped to entertain attenders at The Ridge and Foodshare party lunch in the Dunbar Parish Church hall in the lead-up to Christmas.

Their half-hour performance went down so well that they were asked to repeat their performance at Asda two days later.

With help from Asda funding, Rotary also organised hampers for Dunbar Day Centre.

Ian Dickson, president of the Rotary Club, was joined by past president Elaine O’Brien in handing them over to the day centre’s manager Claire Ainslie.

On Christmas Day morning, Rotarians delivered meals to 20 homes for less able members of the community – this has been a club tradition for many years.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Every week, Rotarians contribute time and energy to the weekly Intergenerational Group at Dunbar Grammar School.

“Seventy older members of the community were entertained to Christmas lunch – Asda Dunbar donated the crackers and mince pies.

“The regular young helpers, some primary, some secondary, were thanked this week.”