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Angel Tree makes sure prisoners' children receive presents at Christmas

  • Anita Boniface

This is first of two articles appearing on ICN this week, about Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree programme. In this the first article, Anita Boniface talks with Maureen Douglas about how Prison Fellowship Angel Tree volunteers are working against the odds to make sure children of prisoners get a present from their parent in prison this Christmas.

It's early December, and Prison Fellowship Angel Tree volunteers across England and Wales are gearing up to buy, wrap and distribute Christmas presents to some very special children.

What makes these children particularly special is that they have not seen their mum or dad for almost a year. That's because their mother or father is serving a sentence in prison. For many of these children, they are desperate to know they haven't been forgotten - that they are still loved. And this is where Angel Tree steps in.

Angel Tree is a programme run by the Christian charity Prison Fellowship, to help strengthen the bond between prisoners and their families. It is a wonderful picture of God's unconditional love for all.

Each year, Prison Fellowship volunteers work alongside prison chaplains to invite incarcerated men and women to participate in Angel Tree. It costs £20 to send each gift, and prisoners can help choose a personalised present for their child. They also send a handwritten note with the gift to their child.

Prison Fellowship volunteers then purchase and wrap each gift, enclosing the handwritten gift tag from the child's parent in prison. They then send the present to the child at home, so ensuring that child feels the joy of their parent's love at Christmas.

Maureen Douglas is one such volunteer. For the past 19 years, Maureen has been Angel Tree Coordinator in Market Harborough where she lives. She coordinates volunteers from eight different churches for her local prison HMP Gartree.

Maureen often hears back from the chaplains about what a difference Angel Tree makes to the lives of the men in the prison to know their families are not being forgotten.

"The men are just delighted. They are just thrilled that people are thinking of them and their families. Their kids love it, and it's a great way of keeping families united at Christmas."

Angel Tree is important because as well as strengthening bonds between prisoners and their families, it also gives prisoners and their children hope. "They so appreciate people's kindness," says Maureen. "I have heard feedback from families they are overwhelmed with appreciation for the kindness that strangers are showing to them."

Lockdown has posed additional challenges to Angel Tree, but Maureen and her church volunteers have found a way round this.

"We have asked people who usually make a donation of presents, if they will make a monetary gift instead. This is a precaution because not everyone is able to go out to the shops to search for and purchase presents themselves because of the pandemic. We have given them the option of making a donation that will go towards a present being bought on their behalf for a child."

Among Maureen's Angel Tree churches group, there are volunteers from Catholic, Congregational, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and Community churches in her area.

Maureen, a Catholic herself, loves the ecumenical nature of Prison Fellowship and by extension, the work of Angel Tree.

"People have different strengths and talents and it is a real blessing to work with Christians of different denominations. The strength and unity that we share makes good fellowship and friendship.

"This goes back to the Gospel where Jesus shared and prayed that we would be one. If we want to live out the Bible message we can do it by living in friendship and unity together, with goodwill and cooperation. We are all part of Angel Tree together, and united for prisoners through helping make children happy at Christmas."

If you would like to find out more about Prison Fellowship visit: www.prisonfellowship.org.uk

From midday on 1st December, the Big Give will be doubling any donations given to Prison Fellowship.

To donate and help more children of prisoners, visit: www.prisonfellowship.org.uk/x2

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