AROUND 500 presents have been donated to the Shuttle's annual Christmas Gift Appeal.

The appeal, now in its 19th year, launched last week and is asking members of the community to buy a gift for a local child this Christmas.

It enables presents to be delivered to every child in receipt of Home-Start support across the district at this special time of year.

Belinda Darby, the manager at Home-Start Wyre Forest, said: "The gifts are wonderful and have come from a mix of individual donations and group donations.

"We have also had a visit from local Mum Mandy Griffiths who has raised £300 for our appeal".

People still have time to donate gifts to the appeal. They can be donated until Friday, December 15.

Presents can be of any value and for children aged 0-18 years, although it is asked all donations are new and unwrapped.

The confirmed donation points for this year’s appeal are the Swan Centre Management Suite in Kidderminster, the Stourport and Franche Midcounties Co-op stores, Franche Community Church (Tuesday and Friday mornings only), Wild Violet Hair Salon on Comberton Hill, the Home-Start Offices on New Road, the main Tesco stores in Stourport and Kidderminster, and Bewdley Methodist Church.