A law firm in St Asaph have been counting down to Christmas by doing an advent calendar with a difference to help out a local foodbank.

Staff at Swayne Johnson on the High Street have been collecting for a reverse advent calendar – donating food and Christmas treats from December 1 for each day up to Boxing Day and they’ve accumulated a hearty hamper of goodies.

They vary from staples like tinned vegetables, instant mashed potatoes and tea bags to seasonal goodies such as mince pies, Christmas cake and boxes of chocolates and biscuits.

They have accumulated enough goodies to make a welcome difference to those in need at the Rhyl Foodbank this Christmas and are handing it over this week.

Court of Protection Legal Assistant Janette Barton has been one of the organisers and she said: “We do like to help people out and do out bit for the community and at Christmas time it is extra special to do that.

“One of our colleagues had seen the idea of the reverse advent calendar and we thought it was a great idea with the accent on giving rather than receiving.

“We have donated to Rhyl Foodbank before and we have a basket here all year as a drop off point for people who wish to donate to them so we approached them with the idea and they liked it.

“We’ve been collecting and we started early so we have a good stock of food and treats for them to give out before Christmas.”

Rhyl Foodbank was set up in 2019 and operates from the Sussex Street Baptist Church and the minister, Trevor Casey, said: “We did see an increase in numbers in the pandemic and that hasn’t really dropped off since.

“We are very grateful for the help we get from Swayne Johnson who have been regular supporters and they also operate a drop-off point for gifts of food.

“Donations like this make such a difference to us as the demand for our support has increased while donations have decreased.

“We know that people just don’t have the extra to give anymore which makes the consistent support from Swayne Johnson that much more meaningful.

“We provide about 35 food parcels every week for individuals, couples and families and we have seen more people who are in work in recent times including people in the care industry.

“We do try to encourage people into our food club where they pay £4 and can choose their own items as it gives them the ability to manage their own finances and makes them more independent.”

Swayne Johnson Managing Director Lynette Viney-Passig said: “Our staff here at the office in St Asaph High Street were really keen to do a Reverse Advent Calendar which hardly anyone had heard of but we do like to get involved with local charities and good causes.

“Janette and her colleagues have worked really hard to get everything organised and have come up with a great balance of vital staple foods and Christmas treats because this is a special time of the year.

“We’re delighted to help Rhyl Foodbank who we have supported before and who do a fantastic job in an area which is one of the most deprived in the country.

“We have a tradition of encouraging our staff to become involved with the communities in which we operate and we have a strong tradition of supporting local charities and good causes and we set up our special Swayne Johnson Charity Fund to make it easier for applications to be made to us for help.”

For more on Swayne Johnson, including how apply to their Charity Fund, go to http://www.swaynejohnson.com/ and for information on Rhyl Foodbank go to https://rhyl.foodbank.org.uk/