CHRISTMAS is about different things for different people, but for 12-year-old Charlie Jones it is all about giving and brightening people’s day.

Charlie, from Newcroft Close, Calne, started handing out Christmas hampers to the elderly in the town when she was only eight years old, and four years on has got her whole family helping out with Community Christmas, dropping off food parcels to the older generations.

The selfless youngster, who was once bullied at school, said: “I wasn’t really having a good time at school. I was upset and I couldn’t take my mind off it, so I was thinking of something I could do to take my mind off it and I thought of making people happy at Christmas.

“I thought it would be nice to cheer people up.”

Charlie’s mum Karen Lewis was very supportive of her daughter’s plan, and they decided together to make food hampers to hand out.

Karen said: “We came up with the idea for boxes together because there didn’t seem to be much going on for the elderly.

“We were only going to do it for a year but we couldn’t walk away from it. Charlie met some amazing elderly people and the support every year has been amazing.”

No matter the person’s circumstances, they are gifted with a hamper filled with enough food to make a hot meal and a dessert, toiletries and biscuits.

“We think they are all deserving,” Karen added. “Along the way we’ve had a lot of tears when we turn up at the door.

“Last year we met a chap who burst into tears. He sat there stunned. He was so grateful because he didn’t know if that week he would be feeding himself or paying the electricity.”

The generosity of the community is what has kept this project running, with boxes and food being donated from the generous people and businesses of Calne.

This year, the Community Christmas team has delivered an an amazing 190 hampers.