Iwade Herons Football Club have helped bring some cheer to those in need this Christmas.

Boxes full of festive treats, along with some more basic items, have been put together by families within the club to be passed onto the local community.

One of the club’s football mums, India Weston, was keen to donate herself and teamed up with the Iwade Herons’ welfare officer Rebecca Foster to organise a collection. India’s son plays for the club’s under-14s.

The Swale foodbank have been running a ‘Hampers for Hope’ initiative this Christmas, in partnership with the Sheerness Salvation Army, asking the local community for their help in putting together hampers for an individual or a family in need.

India spoke to her son’s football coach about the charity, hoping that more families would contribute, and many teams within the club then got together to create 20 boxes which have now been passed on.

India said: “I saw on social media that the foodbank do a ‘Hampers of Hope’ every year and I was going to do one myself anyway, but then thought, because our son is part of the Herons’ team why don't I ask if they fancy doing one?

“That lightens the load. Instead of one family trying to fill a hamper with 20 things, I thought if we do it as a team, it's easier and we could possibly help more families.

“I collaborated with Rebecca, who sent messages out to all the teams, and then we just kind of watched as all of the donations rolled in. Every day it was just going up and up. She was messaging me saying, ‘we've got five boxes’, ‘we've got seven boxes’, ‘we've got ten boxes’.

“We ended up with 20 boxes which was incredible.”

Donations will hopefully help make Christmas extra special, with plenty of treats in the boxes.

India said: “It's nice to be able to help some families out that wouldn't necessarily get the extra treats that you possibly would buy for yourself and your family.

“We’ve filled them with Christmassy items, so you could put little gifts in there, little toys. It wasn't just regular food bank items. There are Advent calendars, selection boxes, boxes of biscuits and chocolates, all the extra little nibbly bits and pieces that possibly wouldn't be in a normal budget if you're trying to be careful.”