A quick Satire Aid update for you. The amazing readers of The Rochdale Herald, NewsThump, Tuckered, U Ok Hun and Angry People in Local Newspapers have now bought more than £31,000 worth of Christmas presents for children in poverty.

We can’t thank you enough, but the appeal is not yet over. The wonderful people at Mission Christmas have stepped up and our now helping us to collect Christmas presents on behalf of social workers and care workers all the way to up Christmas Eve!

For the next week if you go to our list at www.satireaid.com and buy a present it will be shipped to one of the Mission Christmas’ collection hubs at Hits Radio in Manchester and Radio City in Liverpool.

They’ll be sorted by age and need and then social workers will come and collect the presents and make sure that children who are either in care or known to be homeless or living in poverty get a present on Christmas morning.

If you’re going to be somewhere warm and dry this Christmas and your children will be opening presents under the tree please spare a thought for the children in this country who would be happy just to have a meal on Christmas day.

We’re not asking you for much, just go to our list and spend a few quid on some Lego or a box of crayons so that a kid who’s having a tough time this year knows that somebody out there cares.

And if you can’t afford to donate please share our appeal with your friends and family and anybody else who will listen.

Go to our list to donate.

Thank you and have a very Merry Christmas.

Quentin D Fortesqueue is a founding editor of The Rochdale Herald. Part time amateur narcissist and full time satirist Quentin is never happier than when playing his lute and drinking a full bodied Bordeaux. He rarely plays the lute and never gets to drink Bordeaux.