A CARE company with an office in Altrincham is spreading some festive cheer through its Be A Santa To A Senior scheme.

Home Instead Senior Care delivers presents to older people in a bid to bring a seasonal smile to their faces.

The company provides everything from personal care to companionship and managing director Alan Savage said the firm is looking for donations of everything from a box of biscuits to toiletries.

Alan said gifts donated are generally distributed by doctors surgeries and charities like Age UK and the Alzheimer's Society.

The 46-year-old said: "Statistically there are probably thousands of people in Sale and Altrincham who live alone and have typically outlived the rest of their family or their family lives far away. They could be spending Christmas alone.

"A lot of the other organisations have come back and have said its great. They go in and give someone some treatment and the patient is quite surprised when they get a present. Its nice to know someone in the community has thought about them."

The company is an international concern and Alan said: "The company started this about 15 years ago and they reckon across the world about a million presents get collected every year."

Anyone who wishes to donate to the scheme run by the company, can do so at Age UK shop, Green Lane, Ashton on Mersey;  the Greenhouse Health Food shop, Oxford Street, Altrincham; Coffee and Kitchen Cafe, Vicarage Lane, Bowdon Vale; Faddies Dry Cleaners, Bloomsbury Lane, Hale; Lloyds Pharmacy, Hale Road, Hale Barns; Age UK shop, Northenden Road, Sale Moor; Boots, School Road, Sale; Serendipitea cafe, Washway Road, Sale; Sausilito's cafe, Stockport Road, Timperley.

You can also drop off gifts at Home Instead Senior Care (Altrincham and Sale), The Parflo building, Huxley Street, Altrincham, or you can call 0161 870 1136 to find out more.

The company has a north Trafford office, and people can donate at can do so at Age UK Trafford, Noesis Coffee, Boots Pharmacy, Darby Coffee and Arts, The Hideaway cafe, Trafford Health Centre and Poppies 11 Cafe.

In South Trafford, people can drop presents off at Sainsbury’s (Sale), Boots (Sale),  Serendipitea Café (Sale), Wilko (Sale), Age UK shop (Sale Moor & Ashton village), Co-Op (Brooklands), Sausilito’s Café (Timperley), The Greenhouse Health Food Shop & Café (Altrincham), Coffee and Kitchen Café (Bowdon Vale), Lloyds Pharmacy (Hale Barns) and Faddies Dry Cleaners (Hale).