IT WAS a hugely successful year for the Wee County Children's Christmas Shop, which was "busier than ever" ahead of Christmas last month.

The pop up shop, which was set up three years ago to help struggling families enjoy the festive period, dealt with a record number of donations from caring Clacks residents and businesses.

With donations flooding in from late November, organisers soon realised they were on the verge of a "bumper" year for the store – which took up a new residence on Bank Street, in Alloa.

Ace Recycling started off the donations with a big delivery in late November, before a number of community groups held their own collections to help boost stock for the store.

The Wasps 2009 football team held a Bring a Toy to Training event, and ended up donating a few carloads of items, while Park Primary also visited the store, bringing their own donations as well.

Once again, the store employed its "take what you need, pay what you can" ethos, and in conjunction with a crowdfunding page, more than £1400 was raised for local foodbanks.

The shop was set up by Women for Independence Clackmannanshire, in response to rising levels of child poverty in the area.

The group's Susan Fraser said: "The Wee County Children’s Christmas Shop is to help make sure that everyone gets to have a happy Christmas, so that people can come and get whatever they need, and many families came to the shop and did just that.

"On behalf of WFI Clackmannanshire, thank you so much to everyone who donated both to the shop and to our online crowdfunder, and everyone who helped to support us and publicise what we were doing.

"Thank you too to the local businesses who helped us out, ACE Recycling, Rhona McCallum’s, Buicks, Lidl, Tescos, and Stirling Fire Protection Service, and of course, to all of our tireless volunteers who keep the shop open for the whole run up to Christmas.

"This has been a real community effort, bringing so many people together throughout Clackmannanshire and beyond, all trying to do something good for other people."

The shop closed its doors on Christmas Eve with everything left over inside later donated to local charity shops, ensuring that everything donated went to good use.

And, as always, all the proceeds made from the shop was split between local foodbanks at The Gate and at Sauchie Activ8.