A TikTok campaign results in £500 worth of gifts for Devon care home

The Ilfracombe-based Edenmore Nursing Home was overwhelmed by an outpouring of generosity at Christmas, after receiving over £500 worth of Christmas gifts through a TikTok campaign run by a relative of one of the home’s residents.

The campaign was started by Charmain Lovett, whose dad, Harry, lives at Edenmore. In early November, Charmain shared a short video on TikTok, inviting anyone who was able to donate a small gift to the home’s residents via an Amazon wish list she had put together.

While Edenmore Nursing Home ensures each family member receives a personalised Christmas gift from the team, Charmain wanted to set up her own initiative so that the  home could benefit from a collection of shared gifts, activities and treats for everyone to enjoy together. The idea was inspired in part by an online friend of Charmain’s, who had previously run a similar campaign for her nan, called ‘Beryl’s Christmas’.

The response to the campaign was gratifyingly immediate. Charmain reports: “Literally within the first 24 hours, most of the wish list had been fulfilled, so I just kept topping it up with extra items. People are just amazing. I can’t wrap my head around it.”

For Charmain, the campaign was deeply personal.  She says: ‘It's a bit of a different one for us this Christmas, because my mum passed away earlier in the year. Gayle, the home manager at Edenmore, was just brilliant and really supportive to me, my brother Will, and dad during that time. so I just thought it'd be really good to do something nice back.”

Harry, who has lived at Edenmore since April last year, is described as ‘a proper London boy’ by his daughter, Harry was a chauffeur and worked for Rolls-Royce for a time. 

Charmain continues: ‘One thing that he's always been almost obsessive about is making sure that he knows where his car keys are. So, Gayle's husband made him a little set with a tag saying Harry's keys and now he’s always got them in his pocket.’

Harry also worked in construction and labouring, and loves fixing things, so the home also found him a plastic toolbox set so that he could enjoying having a little tinker about when the mood takes him.”

‘It is these sort of things that have made such a big difference to dad's happiness, so when I was compiling the wish list, I made sure that I included activity items, so that it wasn't all just about chocolates and body spray!’

The gifts were dropped off at the home, along with notes from the senders, in time for Christmas Day, much to the great delight of the residents.

Gayle, Edenmore’s home manager says: ‘It means everything to the team and me that Charmain thought of us. We are all truly touched by the kindness and generosity of everyone who sent a gift and want to extend a huge ‘Thank you’ on behalf of everyone at Edenmore.”

You may also be interested in…