‘UNPRECEDENTED and amazing’ kindness has seen Pete’s Dragons send a record number of Christmas hampers to suicide bereaved families in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

The charity, which supports those affected by suicide bereavement, was founded by CEO Alison Jordan after her brother, Pete Wicks, of Launceston, took his own life in 2010 at the age of just 24.

Donations of gifts, food and festive items flooded in to the Exmouth-based cause and volunteers devoted an entire weekend to painstakingly filling personalised packages for some 60 recipients.

It is the first time the fast-growing charity has been able to send gifts to Somerset as part of its Operation Christmas Hamper appeal.

Alison put in 15-hour days in order to pack the hampers ready for distribution.

She said: “The support we have received this year has been unprecedented — it’s amazing.

“They are not just thrown together, they are bespoke. It’s quite a skill to pack them as you know each family and you pick things they will really like. It is a wonderful feeling.”

Hundreds of families who have lost a loved-one to suicide have received hampers in recent years — with grateful beneficiaries saying they were ‘utterly speechless’ and ‘overwhelmed’ by the gesture.

The hampers drive is one of countless ways Pete’s Dragons strives to support people struggling to deal with the loss of a loved-one to suicide and break through the stigma and isolation often felt.

To contact the charity or to find out more about its work, visit www.petesdragons.org.uk