More needy youngsters are being added to the gift list of the Telegraph & Argus Children’s Secret Santa Appeal, thanks to the huge generosity of well-wishers.

As the total of donations now tops £9,000, the appeal being run with the Human Relief Foundation has just taken the names of almost 200 more boys and girls who will now be guaranteed a present to open on Christmas morning.

The appeal is already supporting Barnardo’s Young Carers Service and The Gateway Children’s Centre at Ravenscliffe.

Social workers from Bradford Council’s Children’s Specialist Services got in touch with the appeal asking for help after reading about it in the Telegraph & Argus.

With more families in need this year services are stretched, says children’s services group services manager Melanie Jones-Ross.

She said: “A lot of the families we work with rely on benefits and just can’t make ends meet no matter how hard they try. A big part of our work is keeping families together at home so helping them have a happy christmas is really important to us and them – helping make sure they have gifts for the children is another way of offering support they need.”

To help get presents out to the young people on their casebooks, the social workers based at Flockton House in East Bowling, Bradford, had already put up a tree in their own offices with genders and ages on baubles for colleagues to choose and buy a gift for but demand was too big.

“We’ve not had to do it before but it’s a sign of the times that our families are even more in need this year and people in general who would normally be very generous and help out are having to tighten their own belts.

“We couldn’t manage to do it all by ourselves so when we read about the T&A’s appeal we thought we’d get in touch. it’s such a tremendous help and we know the support will make a massive difference to lots of young lives this Christmas.”