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Women and children staying at Regina Transition House now have access to Santa’s workshop — a safe space where mothers can choose Christmas gifts for their children. 

The initiative is for families fleeing intimate partner violence, offering a more dignified way to pick gifts for the holiday season for those who might be going through a difficult time. 

“It’s just about bringing some normalization to Christmas and some joy for women to be able to come up and shop for their children,” Kim Hickes, operations manager at Regina Transition House, said in an interview. 

The idea began more than a decade ago, when Hickes was working at a shelter in northern Manitoba. She recalled a mother arriving on Christmas Day with several children after fleeing a violent situation, with no gifts and nowhere to shop.

“There was nothing available, and no stores were open,” Hickes said. “That experience really stayed with me.”

The Santa’s workshop initiative allows women to select specific and new gifts for their children, rather than receiving pre-packaged donations. Shelter staff also worked with children to write letters to Santa, helping guide gift selection.

“That choice is important,” Hickes said. “Women are able to pick things their children are actually interested in.”

A Regina-based domestic violence advocate, Crystal Giesbrecht, said the initiative can make a meaningful difference for families escaping violence during the holidays.

“I think it is so important for survivors to have a choice when they’re planning Christmas gifts for their children. When you’ve experienced intimate partner and family violence, you’ve often lost a lot of opportunities to make choices,” she said.

“For some women, their partner has really been making all the big decisions, telling them what they can do, where they can go, what they can spend, if they can buy anything,” she said. 

The program is supported by community donations and funding, including SaskEnergy’s Share the Warmth program. Hickes said donations continue to arrive and the workshop will remain open throughout the holiday season, including after Christmas.

“Crisis doesn’t stop because the holidays are over,” she said. “This ensures families who arrive later still have access to support.”

£140k of illegal cigarettes and vapes seized in crackdown on rogue traders

Tens of thousands of illegal cigarettes and vapes have been seized across the borough this year, highlighting the council’s continued crackdown on rogue traders.

In partnership with Greater Manchester Police, Wigan Council’s Trading Standards team has seized 20,767 packs of illegal cigarettes, 1,418 packets of hand rolled tobacco and 2,812 vapes this year. This has an estimated total value of £145,000.

Councillor Kevin Anderson, portfolio holder for Police, Crime and Civil Contingencies, said: “The vast number of illegal products seized by Trading Standards highlights the team’s relentless work in targeting rogue traders and ensuring our residents feel safe in the products they purchase.

“However, the number of seizures also highlights the scale of the problem; underlining the need for a continued and co-ordinated effort to target those responsible and deter others from this activity.”

With these illegal products putting residents – particularly children – at the risk of harm, the borough’s Community Safety Partnership between Trading Standards, police, and other partners has stepped up enforcement action against those responsible.

In Leigh, Brys Mini Market was closed for three months following repeated seizures of illicit tobacco and vapes. Euroshop in Wigan town centre was closed for more than two months after underage sales and seizures of illicit tobacco.

An individual from Leigh was also prosecuted after 5,100 packs of illicit cigarettes and 1,300 illicit vapes – valued at over £66,000 – were seized. In a separate case, a car found to be storing illegal tobacco was recently seized in Tyldesley.

In other enforcement action, a rogue trader has been prosecuted for taking £37,000 from two residents and will be sentenced next month. This included demanding £10k for poor roofing job in Atherton and £28k from an 80-year-old Leigh resident for work that was never carried out.

Additionally, following nationwide safety concerns and choking hazards from the sale of fake Labubu toys, the council’s Trading Standards team have seized 1,800 items of the counterfeit goods that were on sale in shops across the borough.

Highlighting further work to protect residents, Trading Standards also operate a Neighbourhood Champions initiative to help tackle rogue traders calling uninvited at people’s homes.

So far, 22 volunteers have signed up to give advice to residents in their neighbourhoods and help protect them from doorstep crime, with more than 3,000 houses visited across the borough.

Trading Standards also operate the Good Trader Scheme, which helps residents find reputable traders for a range of domestic services, using verified reviews to give consumers confidence and reassurance in their choices. With more than 160 local traders vetted and around 30,000 resident enquiries per year, it is one of the largest local authority run trader schemes in the country.

Councillor Paul Prescott, portfolio holder for Planning, Environmental Services and Transport, added: “The investigations, vetting, and enforcement action undertaken by our Trading Standards team highlights their tireless work in tackling unscrupulous traders and deceitful businesses.

“Often going under the radar, the team’s work is vital in keeping residents protected from unsafe work and, harmful, often illegal goods, and I encourage all residents to report concerns of rogue traders to Trading Standards or the police.”

For more information visit Trading Standards.

Posted on Wednesday 24th December 2025