TWO Dolgellau students have worked with local school children to create and decorate gift boxes for youngsters who spent the festive period in hospital.

Courtney Riches and Cameron Newman, who both study Level 3 Business Studies at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor's Dolgellau campus, created 120 boxes with the help of local schoolchildren.

In the run-up to Christmas, they collected donations and visited the Ysgol Bro Idris primary school sites, where they helped children to fill and decorate the gift boxes.

Courtney and Cameron then delivered the presents to children at Wrexham Maelor Hospital and to Wrexham Children’s Services.

Business lecturer Carys Davies said: “The students have worked so hard on this initiative.

“They went into the schools for five weeks, working with local school pupils to decorate and fill the boxes so that children in hospital and in care could receive Christmas presents.

“The boxes contained toys, games, sweets, colouring books and much more. All boxes were carefully filled with gender and age in mind, and then a label was put on each box to ensure they went to suitable children aged between newborn babies up to 11 years old.

“The students collected a lot of donations themselves, and the children at the Ysgol Bro Idris sites also contributed donations.

“I’m very proud of how hard Courtney and Cameron have worked, and how dedicated they have been right through to the end of this project.”

Jordan Edwards, of Wrexham Children’s Services, thanked the efforts, saying: “The boxes were shared out between some of the social care teams within Wrexham Children’s Services.

“As we all know some of these children get very little for Christmas and these gifts were very much appreciated by all the children. Thank you to the students for such a special act of kindness.”