POLICE officers who are working Christmas Day are appealing for help so they can give presents to sick children.

Members of the A Shift Response at Worcester Police Station will be attending the Worcester Royal Hospital children's ward and Acorns Hospice taking gifts to the children.

Sgt Brian Simpkins said: “We are asking for our friends to dig deep and donate a gift or two so we can make their day special.

“We are looking for gifts such as blankets, baby toys, books, board games etc from the age range 0 to 18 years.

“If you can help, please drop me a message or drop your gifts to Worcester police station addressed to me.”

Janine Warner, deputy head nurse at acorns for the Three Counties, said: “We’re really excited that the police officers will be paying Acorns a special visit on Christmas Day.

"It’ll certainly bring some big smiles to the faces of the children who will be staying with us.

"At Acorns we know how important it is to create happy memories and make every moment count for the children and families we care for and this is especially important at this time of year - so this visit will be a lovely addition to our Christmas celebrations!”

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are extremely thankful for this generous donation from our local police force.

"This can be a difficult time of year for many of the patients and their families who aren’t able to return home for Christmas.

"We are grateful for every opportunity to bring Christmas cheer to our patients and staff and we can’t wait to see the smiles from our young patients as they unwrap their gifts.”