Scots medics charity for victims of violence sends Christmas gifts to 100 kids

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A hundred Glasgow kids will find presents under the tree this Christmas thanks to a Scots charity – and they hope to make sure NO child misses out in future.Medics Against Violence was set up 15 years ago by a group of medics who wanted to do something practical to reduce injuries sustained through violence in Scotland.They say part of that work is making sure parents don’t face the crippling guilt of a child missing out on Christmas morning – because it could leave damaging mental scars on both parents and child.Head of Services Geraldine Lennon said: “We see beyond the violent incidents and look to tackle the root causes of harm to people and intervene as soon as possible.

We believe in prevention and in a person’s ability to heal and change.“For the last three years we have been helped by Glasgow’s Spirit of Christmas to ease the burden on struggling families – our Navigators, Youth Navigators and Family Navigators deal with people and families every day and see how bad things can be.“They find many of the adults do not have great memories of Christmas - and they want things to be different for their children.“The adults we support are doing the best they can with what they have.

The sense of shame felt by someone who feels they’ve let their children down is horrendous and stays long after the turkey has been eaten.“No child should be dreading going back to school because they didn’t have the Instagram Christmas but until there is change in society, that will continue unless someone helps.“So one of the things that MAV and organisations like Glasgow's Spirit of Christmas can do is try and take the pressure off even just a wee bit – that’s why we are delivering presents to families who may have missed out on a Santa