GENEROUS customers of a popular Bournemouth café have donated hundreds of presents to Dorset’s refuges for Christmas Day.

There were smiles all round when the owners of Flirt Café in the Triangle handed over more than 800 gifts to the Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (BCHA).

The thoughtful gifts were for mothers and children who will be spending this festive season in a refuge in Poole or Bournemouth.

Collecting the gifts on behalf of BCHA, fundraising manager Lorna Trent, said: “The generosity of people here is really appreciated and will really go a long way in helping the 60 plus families that will be with us at Christmas. It’s nice for the mums to know that people care and it makes them feel special.

“This is especially relevant when the mums are stressed that their children won’t have a good Christmas and many of them have left an abusive home with nothing.

“This will really help make their Christmas.”

Director of BCHA, Brian Swan, said: “This donation will really make a difference to people who really need it and everyone involved in this collection should be really proud.”

Café owner Rob Hazell and co-owner Peter Moody said it was their biggest collection ever, with hundreds of presents stacked up around their Christmas tree.

Mr Hazell said: “It has been phenomenal this year and we have our customers to thank for the donations and spreading the word.

“We have had parcels coming in the post from everywhere and lovely message for the mums in the refuge.

“It really goes to show what can be done when you try to do something positive like this for people who need our help.”

All the presents donated for mums or children are being handed out in these days before Christmas to the women in the three refuges.