FORGET the tinsel, the presents and the perfect family dinner-too many children across Scotland will wake upon Christmas morning to face another day of grinding poverty, isolation and trauma.

Aberlour, Scotland’s largest children’s charity, currently provides help and support to more than 7,500 children across Scotland but are appealing to the public this Christmas for their help to reach more vulnerable children and families. With one in three Scottish children living in poverty, there are thousands more in need of urgent help.

The charity has recently published research which revealed children growing up in our most deprived communities are three times more likely to die by the age of 25.

It’s a horrendous statistic that should shame us all. Imagine the pain a family will experience this Christmas where a child will not be present because their life has been tragically cut short.

“The real tragedy is that most of these deaths can be avoided if help and support could be delivered earlier” explains Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly. “Early intervention can never be early enough” she adds.

She cites the charity’s Perinatal Befriending Service as one example where Aberlour are helping children from the very start to give them the best chance to thrive in life.

Described as an “invaluable resource” for families, it offers personalised, practical and emotional support for parents and parents-to-be who are struggling with perinatal mental ill health from conception up until the child’s first birthday.

The aim is to help develop a positive relationship between mum, dad and baby. As well as providing individual support in the family home and community, the volunteer befrienders also help parents access support from other relevant services in their communities.

Caitlin Armitt, a mother from Falkirk, has credited the service with saving her life and is looking forward to celebrating Christmas this year with her two year old son Harrison.

“Harrison would not be spending Christmas with me this year without Aberlour”, explains Caitlin.

“This time two years ago I was at rock bottom. I was having suicidal thoughts. Harrison’s birth had been traumatic; we’d had trouble bonding and I had post-natal depression.

“Everyone around me was getting ready for Christmas, but I didn’t even notice.

“I couldn’t even get off the sofa, never mind go Christmas shopping. How could I think about organising presents when I didn’t even have the energy to get dressed? It’s a horrible time to look back on. I felt like I was a terrible mum. I started to think that Harrison didn’t need me, that he’d be better off without me. I was so low, I started to think about ending it all”.

Across Scotland, perinatal mental illness, the term used to cover all mental health issues during pregnancy and the first year after birth, affects almost one in three mothers and one in 10 fathers.

It includes anxiety, depression and psychosis-related disorders and is the leading cause of death for mothers during pregnancy and the year after birth.

Christmas can be a particularly challenging time.

“You wouldn’t recognise the Caitlin I met at the start of this process” says Claire, the volunteer Befriender who was paired with Caitlin.

“She couldn’t leave the house, she was suicidal, and she had no belief in herself as a mother.

“Throughout the befriending journey I was there for Caitlin: I listened to her worries and concerns and I held Harrison when she just needed five minutes to herself for a cup of tea. When her mood started to improve, and she was able to leave the house, I went with her to soft play and antenatal classes.

“Sometimes, you just need a person who is there for you, with no judgement and preconceptions,” says Claire. Had Caitlin not received Aberlour’s support and had she taken her own life, the consequences and life chances for Harrison could have been radically different.

“I am determined that Harrison and I are going to have the best Christmas ever this year”, says Caitlin.

“We’ll be decorating gingerbread cookies, going to have breakfast with Santa and seeing our family. It’s going to be amazing!

“The sad thing is, I know that there are lots of families across Scotland who won’t be having such a joyful Christmas. Aberlour does life-changing work, but its services are stretched due to funding cuts and currently they cannot reach every family which needs their help”.

A bad start in life shouldn’t mean a bad Christmas. You can make a difference for vulnerable children such as Harrison this Christmas with a gift to Aberlour. Donate using the adjacent coupon, online at www.aberlour.org.uk/gift