Christmas came early for hundreds of children at a Weston-super-Mare primary school, thanks to some surprise gifts from a local charitable trust.

The Axentis Michael Charitable Trust (AMCT) paid for the presents and members of staff from the resort’s Grand Pier spent this week carefully wrapping them up before they were delivered to nearly 400 children at Windwhistle Primary School yesterday (Thursday 17 December).

AMCT was launched to honour the life of local hotelier and businessman Axentis Michael, who died in 2003, and since then it has raised and donated more than £1.5million for recipients in and around Weston-super-Mare.

AMCT Trustee, and Grand Pier Director, Michelle Michael said: “The trustees recognised that, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, children would be affected greatly, especially those who were already experiencing difficult circumstances.

“The trust was established to make a positive difference to the lives of people in our local community. 

“We thought it was fitting to focus this year on the very young, and to provide them with some Christmas gifts so that they can enjoy the magic of this special time of the year with their families.”

She added: “Rather than simply buy a pile of presents that we thought might be nice, we provided a budget of £20 per child. 

“The school then contacted parents – so the children had no idea what was happening – and asked the parents to choose items from particular stores. 

“The wish-list was then returned to the Trust, which then purchased the presents.

“Members of the Grand Pier team have given up their time to wrap all the gifts and write individual messages, as well as donate the wrapping paper and tags. The Grand Pier also presented each child with a box of chocolates.

Lyn Hunt, headteacher at Windwhistle Primary School, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Axentis Michael Charitable Trust for these amazingly generous gifts for every child at Windwhistle Primary School.

“Parents were able to choose any present that their child would like up to the value of £20. It was so lovely to see the children's excited faces when Father Christmas delivered a large sack of presents to the door of each classroom!

“The parents were blown away by the generosity of the trust, it’s such a lovely gesture.”

AMCT raises funds and distributes money to worthy causes in and around Weston-super-Mare, from Weston Hospicecare and Weston Hospital to many local families and children with life-restricting conditions. 

The charity also supports and donates funds to local groups, charities and organisations which work themselves to support the local community.

A significant amount of its money is raised through a bi-annual Memorial Ball, which is hosted at the Grand Pier and attracts a host of famous faces from the worlds of television, sport and fashion.

The 2018 Memorial Ball raised £264,000 but the planned 2020 ball was unable to take place because of the pandemic. It is hoped that this can be rescheduled for 2021.