A total of 643 shoeboxes were collected by a house building company to bring glimmer, hope, and happiness to children this Christmas.

David Wilson Homes collected the shoeboxes from members of the community at its Castle Hill development in Ebbsfleet Valley as part of Operation Christmas Child UK.

The project was set up to gather gifts for less fortunate children all over the world at Christmas.

David Wilson Homes marketing director, Natalie Perry, said: “Thank you to everyone that has brought a box to Castle Hill in recent weeks.

“It is wonderful that so many people have shown support for this fantastic cause, and we hope that these generous donations will put a smile on children’s faces during the festive period.”

The project which ran throughout November has now closed for on-site collections, however, donations can still be made online which help cover the cost of shipping the shoeboxes.

Operation Christmas Child's donation service allows you to then download a special barcode that informs you on the destination country your shoebox gift will end up.

Nick Cole, Director of Operation Christmas Child UK, offered thanks to David Wilson Homes, commenting: “We were delighted to have seen a great National Collection week taking place around the UK this month, with so many organisations generously opening their doors to facilitate the hundreds of thousands of shoeboxes that have been dropped off by our supporters.

“Right now, our processing centres are full of trained volunteers checking shoeboxes for child safety and customs compliance purposes before they will be cartooned up and dispatched around the world to be delivered to children in need.”

To find out more information, to be a part of the project visit the Samaritans online at https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/follow-your-box-donation/