An anxiety sufferer from Southampton has spent an entire year making hundreds of hand-crafted gifts to give to local care home residents to ‘keep her hands busy’ and raise spirits during lockdown.

Now the presents have been sent out to the homes, just in time for Christmas.

The gifts include tree decorations, stockings, calenders and key rings which Sara Russell made whilst home-schooling her two children - three-year-old Courtney and 11-year-old Reggie during the first lockdown.

The 34-year-old, who is from Weston, has previously worked for Avon but is currently not able to work due to suffering with mental health issues.

“I suffer with really bad anxiety and if I’m not busy it get worse,” she said.

Daily Echo:

Sara decided to start making gifts at the start of 2020, and has since amassed 366 separate care packages complete with greetings card.

She said: “In the last few years of my grandad Lesley’s life he was in a care home and they looked after him really well.

“That made me want to make residents little Christmas presents.

“Everyone thinks of children at Christmas and I think care homes get forgotten.”

Sara distributed the gifts to local care homes on Saturday including; Netley Court, Abbey House, The Gables, Lavender House, Rosewood, Aspen Lodge and Buttercup House.

Daily Echo:

Heather Cardy, Manager of The Gables care home in Netley said: “What Sara did for us was really lovely.

“All the gifts were in individual bags and she put different things in like handmade bracelets.

“She brought it all in, enough for all of our residents.”

The care home is saving the presents to give to the residents in late December.

Ms Cardy believes the gifts will go down well at the home.

She said: “The presents are very tactile little things and I think the residents will find it quite interesting when they look in the bag.

“It’s just really nice that someone’s taken the time and effort to think of us during lockdown.”