# Real-life Bristol based Santa Claus works year round to create 500 charity shoeboxes

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/12/16/real-life-bristol-based-santa-claus-works-year-round-to-create-500-charity-shoeboxes/
- Published: 2019-12-16T08:00:53+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**An 80-year-old tenant at Brunelcare’s ABC Centre, an extra care housing site in
Bristol has spent the year creating over 500 gift-filled shoeboxes to deliver to
charities during the festive season.**

Fran Clark starts work at the beginning of every January and works all year round.
She began her role as Bristol’s Santa four years ago, after seeing an advert for
the Shoebox Appeal in a church magazine.

Sourcing items from charity shops, car boot sales and her local Knit and Natter 
groups, she often spends around one hour each morning filling the boxes with her
festive finds. She gets help from ABC Centre Manager, Danielle Morgan and other 
friends who assist in wrapping and finding gifts for her. Pavers, a shoe shop based
in Bristol’s The Galleries, also gets involved, putting aside 15+ shoeboxes each
week for Fran to collect on her weekly trip into the city by bus.

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Fran has lived at [Brunelcare’s](http://www.brunelcare.org.uk) ABC Centre for nine
years, and receives support from the centre’s manager, Danielle, who provided her
with a ‘workshop’ to craft her boxes in.

Fran said:

> “My son used to live opposite me, so him and my grandchildren used to come over
> every day, but once I moved they couldn’t visit me as often. I initially felt 
> lonely, but then I saw an advertisement about a shoebox appeal in a church magazine
> and I thought it was a great idea. I was given a room upstairs to work on the 
> shoe boxes, and it has really helped me keep busy.”

Each box contains a variety of items, with soap, flannels, toothpaste and a toothbrush
being the main essentials. Men and women often receive clothes, dominoes and a pack
of cards alongside their toiletries, while children are gifted with toys, books 
and colouring pencils. The boxes cost Fran around £5 each to make and she uses her
own money alongside charitable contributions to make the boxes. Charities then collect
the shoe boxes from Brunelcare’s ABC Centre on a first-come-first served basis. 
The charities that usually collect boxes are homeless shelters and children’s charities
from Bristol.

 * **[Small charities sought to join Nochex Christmas Appeal](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/12/16/small-charities-sought-to-join-nochex-christmas-appeal/)**(
   16 December 2019)
 * **[Barnardo’s launches campaign to encourage donation of unwanted gifts](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/12/20/barnardos-launches-campaign-to-encourage-donation-of-unwanted-gifts/)**(
   20 December 2019)
 * **[Charity Christmas Appeal totals: the round up](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/01/29/charity-christmas-appeal-totals-the-round-up/)**(
   29 January 2020)

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