'The first gifts some will ever receive' - 70,000 Christmas presents being wrapped in Kent
Watch Tony Green's video report
A huge warehouse is being turned into an early Christmas grotto in Kent - as 70,000 shoebox gifts are being wrapped for children in poverty around the world.
Tonbridge is the annual home of a processing centre for Operation Christmas Child - a project of the international Christian relief organisation Samaritan’s Purse.
It sends millions of Christmas gifts to children in need around the world.
By December 16th, it aims to process and ship 70,000 gift-filled shoeboxes collected from the south east.
For many of the children receiving them, it will be the first gift they have ever received.
Watch drone footage of the 'Christmas Project'
More than a thousand volunteers in Kent join the effort to inspect and ready shoeboxes - filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items - for delivery.
"It's amazing to see the local community come together to create a lasting impact for children around the world," David Gibbons, local regional manager for Operation Christmas Child, said.
"We see all ages getting involved ‐ and more and more every year."
The 70,000 shoebox gifts prepared for shipment at the Tonbridge warehouse will contribute to the 2023 global goal of reaching more than 11 million children in need.
Two other processing centres will operate simultaneously from November 21st to December 16th, as well as four more pop-up ones in Cardiff, Glasgow, Northern Ireland, and Rotherham.
The Tonbridge grotto will also serve as a drop-off Location for local residents to donate gift-filled shoeboxes through until December 16th.