After another hectic night delivering toys to boys and girls all over the world, Santa finally got to relax this morning with his special cuddle blanket which was presented to him by John Macaulay MBE, Convenor of FACE (Fighting Against Cancer in Edinburgh) during the charity’s 26th annual trip to Lapland earlier this month.
The blanket was one of a number made at the Cuddles for Cancer Drop In Centre in Lakefield, Ontario and with the assistance of British Airways and the Canadian Consul General’s office transported from Pearson International Airport to Edinburgh via London.
Each child who made the journey to Lapland received their own blanket and the final blanket was reserved for Santa in recognition of all his hard work throughout the year.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “This was a very special initiative, that meant a lot to many involved, everyone at Cuddles for Cancer and the children that received them. Thank you so very much to everyone involved including Nick from Global Baggage who was exceptionally helpful at the airport & a pleasure to work with, Kelly from British Airways and Kevin, the Consul-General, and Jamil & Jessica from the Consul-Generals office in Toronto for their support, time & efforts. You are ALL very much appreciated & your generosity exemplified the true meaning of Christmas!”
Cuddles for Cancer was created by nine-year-old Faith Dickinson in 2012. She began making her signature fleece tie blankets for cancer patients as they went through chemotherapy, with the hope that they would offer comfort, warmth & love. To date, more than 5,500 Cuddle blankets have been made & they have been sent to more than 45 countries worldwide. Faith is a firm believer that “everyone deserves a cuddle”, so they are also given to people suffering from other illnesses and diseases, the homeless, those grieving and to Canadian Veterans and Soldiers serving overseas or when they return home injured or suffering from PTSD. They also have a signature blanket for First Responders.
Santa told the Edinburgh Reporter: “It was great to get home this morning and relax with my cuddle blanket. I’d like to thank John and everyone from Cuddles for Cancer for their generous gift. Lapland can get quite cold at this time of year so the blanket was the perfect present.
“Merry Christmas to everyone and I’ll see you all again next December.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
