The days just after Christmas are never a good time to ask for money.

Most of us have spent out or spent far more than we intended on celebrating the festive season and the January pay day seems a long way off as we count the cost of Christmas.

January sees the last few weeks of the Your Local Paper Winter Appeal and it’s a difficult time to ask people to dig deep to support our three chosen charities.

But if you are in the fortunate position of having a little cash left over, please will you consider making just a small donation to the appeal, which runs until the end of January.

The appeal has so far raised just over £3,000 with donations for King’s Lynn Night Shelter, the town’s Purfleet Trust and food bank.

We are asking for cash/cheque donations (not food) of any amount which we will forward to the charities to spend where it’s needed the most.

Donations for the food bank, Purfleet Trust and night shelter can be dropped through the door/letterbox of the YLP office at 17 Tuesday Market Place in Lynn (which is also the home of the Lynn News).

There may not always be someone in reception to take your donation, so please put your cheque/cash into an envelope and write the name(s) of the charity you wish the donation to go to so we can forward it on your behalf and drop them into our letterbox.

We have a buzzer on the front door, so if you have a cash donation and want to hand it to a YLP staff member in person, just ring the bell and we will come to the door.

Donations can also be taken directly to the charities if you prefer – the night shelter is based at St John’s House near The Walks, the food bank is in the TS Vancouver building off South Quay and the Purfleet Trust is at Pathway House, Austin Fields.

YLP readers in Downham Market can support the town’s food bank at Eternity Church by taking donations directly to the premises at the Sovereign Centre, Sovereign Way at the Trafalgar Industrial Estate.

Those heading up the charities have told us how much your donations do help them through the winter.

The Purfleet Trust has said £5 can provide a vulnerable person with warm socks and gloves, £10 helps towards essentials such as hot meals, clean clothing or toiletries, £20 covers health and wellbeing services such as practical fitness sessions or mental health advice from the support team, £40 will fund a week of skills training, cooking classes or an employability course to help build confidence and independence.

A donation of £50 funds a place for someone on a four-week tenancy training course to help with their independent living skills, and £100 equips someone moving into a new home with essentials like bedding, cookware and furniture – ensuring they can settle and thrive.

If you can help and are making a donation via cheque, please make it payable to: King’s Lynn Night Shelter, The Purfleet Trust or King’s Lynn Food Bank.