BOROUGH mayor Cllr Terry Piccolo has officially opened this year's 'Give a Gift' campaign.

Now in its fourth year, the Give a Gift project offers the opportunity for people to donate a Christmas present to a local child for whom Christmas can be a difficult time of year.

Open from Monday, 25 November to Sunday, 8 December 2019, the Give A Gift unit is located at intu Lakeside, with a special store on Level 1, next to HSBC at the House of Fraser end of the shopping centre.

In the store, visitors choose a star from the Christmas tree, each one representing a child. They purchase an age appropriate gift and bring it back to the Give a Gift volunteers who will ensure they are wrapped and delivered to each child in time for Christmas morning.

Donations of wrapping paper, tape, gift bags and gift tags are also being taken in the store to help with the gift wrapping that takes place throughout December.

Cllr Piccolo said: "Thank you to intu Lakeside who have donated the retail unit for Give a Gift to run from, and Linton Hoarding Solutions, Tesco Extra Lakeside and Amazing Solutions for supporting the set-up of the shop."

For more details visit thurrock.gov.uk/giveagift.