Call me MRS CLAUS

One woman shares her mission to spread festive cheer

For most of us, Christmas planning gets underway in the weeks before the main event, with last-minute dashes for presents. But for Louise Cast, also known as Mrs Claus, prepping for Christmas starts much earlier than it does for the rest of us, and is a year in the making. 'I start planning on 1 January every year,' says Louise, 48, from Kilwinning, North Ayrshire. 'Every January, I go shopping in the sales for raffle prizes, and write to businesses for donations and support.'

Louise spent her career working in social services while also raising her four children, Brooke, 26, Morgan, 21, Faith, 19, and Logan, 17, with her husband, James, 45, before retiring in July 2022 to become a full-time foster mum to two boys, now aged six and seven. Over the years, she and James volunteered their time as short-break carers, looking after young children for a couple of nights and offering respite to families.

'It broke my heart hearing their stories,' Louise sighs. 'One little boy came to stay and looked confused to see our Christmas tree - he'd never seen one before. Another didn't know what a stocking was. And one boy told me he'd got a pair of school shoes for Christmas.

Then, five years ago, in 2018, Louise got involved with the annual Christmas appeal at work, for which colleagues raised money to provide Christmas dinners for 20 local disadvantaged families. Spurred on, Louise actively fundraised so they could increase the amount and help even more people.