A nine-year-old child just wants apples and a milky bar for Christmas, a heartbreaking list of requested festive presents has revealed.

After Bolton Lads and Girl’s Club fundraising manager Kelly McFadden saw the list of presents from young people in Bolton, she says she was left in tears.

Common gift requests were coats, hats and scarves as children felt cold at home with families struggling to afford heating.

One child asked for a bike chain to help him ride again with socks and a water bottle also on the list.

Kelly shared a screenshot of a few requests on LinkedIn and Facebook, prompting many businesses around Greater Manchester to pledge to donate.

But more is still needed, as the team have more than 350 families to help this Christmas with many simply requesting basic necessities.

Kelly said: “It’s heartbreaking to see the list because usually on a children’s wish list you’d see things like an Xbox game or a football shirt.

“So, when we saw this list, we were all brought to tears to see that young people were asking for something as simple as apples.

“But on the flipside, the response so far has been amazing and with the help of the community, we are hoping every child on our list will get a Christmas present.”

The LinkedIn post was also seen by The Apprentice star Aaron Willis, who said he would donate presents to the children on the list.

The list has highlighted the effects of the cost of living crisis in the UK, with children being forced to ask for basic things rather than toys.

Kelly said: “We do this every year but this year we’re seeing families come to us that didn’t need help before, and they can’t believe they’re even in this position.

“We want to do everything we can to help as many families we can because we’ve seen the numbers increase.”

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The presents are given to the parents along with wrapping paper so that they can wrap gifts themselves for their children.

Bolton Lads and Girls Club will also work to make sure families are equipped with the essentials they need for the winter.

To donate, go here.