Christmas donations gift demand up, charities say

Meanwhile, Taunton's charity appeal Christmas Sparkle said their demand has risen sharply over the last couple of years, with 500 presents given out in 2015 to 10,000 last year.

They said they are expecting even higher demand this year.

Gill Harrison, founder and manager at Christmas Sparkle, said she believes the cost of living crisis is increasing the demand for their services.

"When we started the project in 2015, we gave out 500 individual gifts. Last year, it was around 2,300 parcels, that's about 10,000 individual gifts," Harrison said.

"We are expecting possibly even more requests this year. That's mostly because of the cost-of-living crisis."

Harrison said they work with schools, social services, police, women's refuges and community nursing teams, which have all increased their referrals to Christmas Sparkle over the last few years.