Bailiff puts star on Tree of Joy

The lights are the focal point of the annual giving campaign run by the club.

The switch-on is on Thursday and will be carried out by seven-year-old Vauvert Primary pupil Isabelle Price, who was nominated by the Sunflower Project.

The cost of the lights on the mast is covered by sponsors Butterfield, PwC and Guernsey Gas.

It is a busy time for the club, which has flag days on 26 and 27 November, to collect funds to buy hampers, which are given out to families for them to enjoy over the Christmas period.

The Tree of Joy concept is simple. The club obtains the names of children who might be deserving of an extra present at Christmas.

Their names, which are often disguised to prevent identification, are written on a tag, along with a requested present and the tags are then distributed around the island for members of the public to select.

. The public are encouraged to purchase the present suggested, or something similar, with a value of around £25, with an age limit of 12, then return the wrapped present to the place where they obtained the tag.

Members of the Rotary Club then collect the presents, which are sorted by Inner Wheel members ready for delivery to the agency that provided the name.

The agency, in turn, ensures that the present reaches the child in time for Christmas. In this way, the Rotary Club does not get involved with delivering the present to the final address, which protects the identity of the child.

Tags are available from Creasey’s Toy Shop, who will also pack the present, Aladdin’s Cave, Guernsey Post Hub, North Plantation, Fletcher Sports, Arcade and Bridge, Co-op St Martin’s, NatWest High Street, Barclays High Street and Norman Piette, Bulwer Avenue.

‘Christmas is very special time for children, and we are delighted to be able to bring some extra joy into their lives, as they open their Tree of Joy present,’ said John Moses, the president of the Rotary Club of Guernsey.