Asylum seekers have thanked parishioners who filled 25 boxes with Christmas and New Year gifts.

Children and adults from the Church of St John Vianney, Charlton Road, Wantage, delivered gifts of groceries, household goods, toiletries, toys and treats for refugees and asylum seekers at St Francis House, Cowley Road, Oxford.

Maria Coates, who leads the weekly youth group at the church and helped organise the gifts, said: "We wanted the children to be aware of the difficulties these poor people were having to deal with away from their homes, particularly at Christmas time."