|PIC1|Churchgoers in the London borough of Barnet are looking to spread some Christmas cheer over the next few weeks with hampers for families in need.

Several churches have mobilised their members to pack thousands of hampers to go out across the borough.

The hampers are full of seasonal goodies to help families come together for a traditional Christmas dinner, including a turkey, minced meat, Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding.

The outreach follows in the spirit of last year’s hamper giveaway by Barnet churches, which saw some 1,500 hampers handed out in West Hendon and Colindale.

“People greatly appreciated this small gesture, so we felt it would be a good thing to repeat the exercise this year, and distribute hampers to people in need right across the borough,” said Jesus House.

The hampers will be handed out by church volunteers on December 12.

“This year has been particularly difficult for many families with the impact of the recession biting hard,” said a spokesman for Jesus House.

|PIC2|“Many people have lost jobs and are bracing themselves for a difficult festive season.

“It is great that more churches have joined forces to make a positive difference to people’s lives.”

Hampers will be distributed on the West Hendon, Dollis Valley, Stonegrove, Belle Vue, Strawberry Vale, Fosters, Grange and Grahame Park estates.

Helen Shannon from St Barnabas Church in Finchley said the giveaway was an expression of Jesus’ love.

“Christmas is the season of love and goodwill,” she said.

“As Christians we don’t just want to speak about Jesus’ love, we also want to show it by our actions.

“Our hope is that through these Christmas hampers people will see that love is more than a word – true love is best expressed by giving.”