The Salvation Army's Christmas distribution finished last night with 1,250 Christmas hampers given out, plus toys for 934 children.

“We were more than impressed with the way it worked this year,” said division commander Frank Pittman, noting the problems they encountered last year.

The annual pre-Christmas delivery uses facilities provided by the Department of Parks within the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.

This year, the Salvation Army opted to use a different building that kept the queues running at a comfortable pace.

Major Pittman said: “People were able to register, walk in one end and then out through another.

“That gave a flow of traffic, whereas last year they had to enter and exit by the same door, which caused a bottleneck.”

Other arrangements included colour-coding the distribution for people arriving at different time slots, he said.

Although the official distribution has ended, the Salvation Army may be able to assist emergency cases at its Roberts Avenue office.

“This was my first year in Bermuda,” Major Pittman said. “I've been sometimes overwhelmed when I look at the great generosity of the people here.”