'Merry Mailbox': New Mersey collects hundreds of Christmas cards for local community

New Mersey Shopping Park has collected over 200 handwritten Christmas cards from local schoolchildren and residents through its specially installed ‘Merry Mailbox.’

The initiative, which launched in partnership with Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton earlier this month, saw hundreds of local residents and schoolchildren write heartfelt warm wishes to be shared with older members of the community.

The cards will now be distributed to Age Concern clients in the community, landing on doorsteps in time for Christmas Day.

Russell Hall, centre manager at New Mersey Retail Park, said: “Our elderly community is so important to us, especially those feeling lonely this Christmas. We knew we could count on our local schools and visitors to help spread a few more smiles this festive season.

“It’s been heartwarming to see so many people engage with us – from schoolchildren carefully handmaking cards, through to families posting their warm wishes while doing their Christmas shopping. And a special thanks goes to the children of Stockton Wood Primary School, Speke, who blew me away with their fantastic cards and genuine heartfelt messages.

“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone for taking the time out of their day during the busy festive period to spread some cheer and help make sure as many people as possible feel connected this Christmas.”

Jacinta Ashdown, CEO at Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton, added: “It’s been brilliant to receive so many lovely cards in such a short space of time and we’d like to say a huge thank you to each and every person who posted a card through the Merry Mailbox.

“We also send a special thanks to our brilliant partner New Mersey for support through this scheme. Initiatives like these are a big help when it comes to raising awareness of our cause.

“So many older people across the UK and in our local community say they feel lonely at this time of year, so it’s not surprising that we’ve had strong interest from our clients in the scheme so far and we’re really looking forward to being able to deliver the cards to them in the next few days.”

New Mersey also hosted Speke Community Choir earlier this month to help spread some seasonal cheer and get shoppers ready for the big day.