Wales star Gareth Bale gives £15,000 for Christmas hampers

Jingle Bale: The footballer's donation will pay for 300 food hampers

Wales football star Gareth Bale has given £15,000 to a campaign to feed struggling families over Christmas.

The Tottenham Hotspur winger has donated the cash to the Everyone Deserves a Christmas project in Swansea.

The money will fund at least 300 food hampers to be handed out over the festive period.

The campaign's organiser, Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris, said: " I can't stop saying thank you Gareth Bale."

Ms Harris had initially written to Bale's agent in the hope he would donate a signed shirt to auction off to raise money for this year's campaign.

The Cardiff-born footballer sent them a shirt - and the donation.

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"Gareth's generosity will make a huge difference to this year's campaign," said the Labour MP.

"I've literally wept at his kindness and knowing that so many families will wake-up on Christmas day to have a special day is truly amazing."

Just some of the hampers the campaign delivered last Christmas

Each hamper is put together by volunteers in the run-up to Christmas, at a cost of £50 each.

The campaign is backed by Swansea City Community Trust and rugby's Ospreys in the Community, as well as local businesses - including Amazon, which provides the hamper boxes from its city centre warehouse. warehouse centre in the city.

It is the key campaign run by the Swansea Evening Post newspaper.

This year the hampers will be put together in the city's large Mecca bingo hall, to allow the volunteers to social distance while packing.

They will then be delivered across the Swansea area on 21 December.