'It’s nice to be nice’ - How Norah's North Pole helped more than 8,000 children wake up to presents this year

More than 8,000 children woke up to presents on Christmas morning thanks to one family’s incredible appeal.
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Launched five years ago, the Norah's North Pole initiative gives out specially selected presents to children in need across the North East.

It relies on donations of brand new toys, food and warm clothing which contribute to the sacks full of gifts for families living in the likes of Sunderland, South Tyneside and Hartlepool.

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The family behind the scheme works with schools, health visitors and social workers from across the region who refer the children who are in need of support.

More than 8,000 families woke up to presents on Christmas morning thanks to Norah's North Pole.More than 8,000 families woke up to presents on Christmas morning thanks to Norah's North Pole.
More than 8,000 families woke up to presents on Christmas morning thanks to Norah's North Pole.

Last year the family faced a huge challenge in continuing the initiative during the Covid pandemic but the support of the community enabled it to succeed once again.

Now Norah’s North Pole has confirmed that it handed out 8,876 Santa sacks filled with more than 47,000 presents to families across the region.

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Team member Victoria Imrie-Bell from East Boldon said: “We had an incredible response to Norah’s North Pole in 2020, so much so that we needed a bigger packing station!

The team behind Norah's North Pole pictured before the Covid pandemic in 2019.The team behind Norah's North Pole pictured before the Covid pandemic in 2019.
The team behind Norah's North Pole pictured before the Covid pandemic in 2019.
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“Ramside Hall came to our rescue and we turned the whole ballroom into a Santa’s workshop.

“In total we packed 8,876 Santa sacks filled with the most amazing presents.

“We were able to reach out to so many more schools and social teams which meant we could get Santa sacks to thousands more children who would have gone without.”

Founded on grandmother Norah Wilkinson’s motto that ‘it’s nice to be nice,’ the family initiative has touched the hearts of many.

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And support for their effort was shown once again in 2020 by the sheer volume of presents and donations.

Donations poured into a Go Fund Me page on the run up to Christmas, raising a total of £28,389 for the Santa sacks.

Victoria, 35, added: “We are extremely grateful to every single person who donated and to all of the Norah’s North Pole elves who made the magic happen.

“We were able to change Christmas for thousands of children and their families thanks to our community coming together and acting on the belief ‘it’s nice to be nice’.”

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