A PARAMEDIC is creating festive hampers for the elderly across Weymouth and Portland this Christmas.

Lynn Hovard, a paramedic with the South Western Ambulance Service, decided to create the hampers after doing her Christmas shopping and ending up with spare vouchers from the Morrisons’ supermarket bonus scheme.

The voucher scheme gives customers a voucher every time they complete a £40 shop in the store. There are nine vouchers to collect in total before shoppers are rewarded with a £40 voucher.

Lynn aims to use the £40 vouchers to create gift and food hampers for the elderly this Christmas and asked anyone with spare Morrisons Christmas bonus vouchers to donate them to her.

Individuals across Weymouth and Portland can also nominate anyone elderly, be it a family member or friend, who they believe would benefit from a festive hamper this Christmas.

Lynn said: “In my day to day job I see and hear incredibly sad stories about the elderly at Christmas time each year, who either feel incredibly lonely during the festive season or can’t afford to buy much, if anything at all.

“I just want to do all I can to help and will be personally delivering the hampers to the elderly in my paramedic uniform so that they are not worried when I visit.

“I have collected all the vouchers now and so it is time to get the hampers and I need people to nominate who they think would benefit.

“Anyone can nominate someone elderly they think would benefit from a hamper this Christmas.

“A lot of people have got behind the scheme and I would like to thank everyone who has helped.”

To nominate someone elderly for a festive hamper this Christmas, email lynn_hovard@yahoo.co.uk or visit the Facebook page ‘A gift for Christmas’.