‘Yorkshire Santa’ ramps up effort to spread Christmas joy for vulnerable children around Wakefield and Castleford

Reese, 31, crafts and sells wooden Christmas trees for £10, with the funds raised then being used to buy festive presents for children and young people in Wakefield and across West Yorkshire.

Last year, with support from timber merchant BSW Group, he raised an impressive £10,000.

Now he wants to go even further and has set an ambitious target of £50,000 – raised through tree sales and online donations.

The landscaper has sold his trees at Knottingley Morrisons and at the Queen’s Mills Tearoom in Castleford and is set to sell them at The Old Quarry playground in Knottingley on Saturday, December 3 and at Rockello at The Rock Inn in Glasshoughton on Sunday, December 4.

Reese said: “We have set a target of £50,000 to buy toys for children this Christmas, which would equate to 5,000 trees.

"Over the last two years we have raised just short of £15,000 so why not set the bar high and go for it?

“We know it’s an ambitious target, but we want to do something big this year to make a real difference.

"As the cost-of-living crisis bites, our community partners have advised that the number of school children struggling has doubled in the last 12 months.”

Since 2020, thousands of trees have been crafted by Reese and a team of five merry elves – 300 in the first year, 900 last year and 800 so far in 2022.

With interest peaking last year, his Justgiving page is seen as a way to boost funds to invest even more into presents, while collection points being set up to aid distribution of the £10 trees.

He added: “We had such a huge interest last year, that we have set up a donation page for 2022.

"This way, even if we can’t produce 5,000 trees through sales, people can donate to the cause and help us to buy as many toys for vulnerable children this Christmas.”

This year, PS Building Services will help to distribute 200 trees and BSW Group has donated 756 lengths of timber for the second year running.

James Brennan, Group marketing manager of BSW Group, said: “We were keen to support Reese’s efforts when he reached out to us and told us what he was aiming to do. This is our second year supporting the project and it’s going from strength to strength.

"This year, more and more families are visiting food banks, and as Christmas brings affordability into the spotlight, we hope that our donation, and Reese’s campaign, can ease some of those anxieties for families across the Yorkshire region.”

Reese, from Kippax, is urging the public to pop down to a range of Christmas markets in the area to make a vital contribution.

He added: “We’ve already organised more than 10 stands at Christmas markets in our local area, but we can go further afield within reason."

To make a donation to the campaign, visit Reese’s dedicated Justgiving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/reese-fletcher-2?utm_id=106&fbclid=IwAR3c4wHYRLlDLQhVVZj_el5rM3gAo8qQ608o7qx9O9N8_42u7HmAmpVdlWE.