Christmas has arrived early at Bayside Health Service, where hospital wards are transforming into festive displays and staff are backing a community appeal to help local families in need.

The annual Bayside Health Service Christmas Decorating Competition is in full swing and the Christmas appeal is underway, marking the start of the countdown to Christmas across Redland Hospital, Redlands Satellite Health Centre, Wynnum-Manly Community Health Centre (Gundu Pa) and Maree Rose on North Stradbroke Island.

The Health Service’s Culture Club Co-Chair Michael Harris said the initiatives showed the creativity and community spirit that defined the festive season at Bayside.

“You can feel the excitement building,” Mr Harris said. “Staff go all out to make the hospital feel warm and welcoming at this time of year.

“Afterall, nobody really wants to be in hospital in the lead-up to Christmas, so we try make it a bit more special.

"The decorations lift everyone’s spirits, and the Christmas Appeal gives us a way to extend that goodwill to our Redlands Coast community.”

The sustainable decorating theme encourages teams to reuse and upcycle materials in their displays, with a friendly competition and judging occurring before Christmas.

Meanwhile, the annual Christmas Appeal is calling for donations to support St Vincent de Paul and the Redland Animal Shelter, collecting non-perishable food, toiletries, toys, and pet supplies until early December.

Donation boxes are located across the health service, with the main collection points in Redland Hospital foyers. You can keep on top of news from Redland Hospital by visiting Facebook.