A Bible group from South Carolina is spreading Christmas cheer with gift bags.

A Bible group from Charleston, South Carolina is spreading Christmas cheer to those incarcerated over the holidays with the help of gift bags.

The Jailbirds, who are a group of women from Bible Center Church, have spent the last two years visiting female inmates at South Central Regional Jail, Charleston Daily Mail reports.

Each month the ladies gather for services including music, testimony and Bible scriptures, a routine which emerged after member Gail Kopf heard about a similar project in another state.

"I really struggled with it, but I felt God saying, 'You can do this.' I said, 'OK, Lord,' but it took a year to break into the jail," she explained to the newspaper.

Initially the Sunday worship slots were filled by other organisations, but eventually a slot opened up.

"I think it was God's timing. These women love it," Ms Kopf said.

Each of the Jailbirds is between the ages of 23 and 67, however they are united in their aims to show unconditional love and acceptance without judging any of the prisoners.

Ms Kopf said: "The point is to restore hope and direction in the lives of the inmates. Hopefully, they can transition back into society and become useful members of the community. We believe no one is beyond redemption."

With the holiday season here the group have called upon their congregation and local people to create gift bags to give to each of the 100 female inmates, as well as the 500 men at the prison.

In just six weeks they gathered donations and put them in bags decorated by children, with each containing an inspirational book, cakes, sweets, tissues, paper and two cards, which can then be sent on to loved ones.

Each of the cards was created by kids at the church and came with a pre-stamped envelope.

Ms Kopf went on to add: "Christmas is a time of reflection, kindness, compassion and forgiving. These bags will help build a bridge between inmates and the community."

Shopping Bags Direct is a leading retailer of Gift Bags. We offer them in many colours and sizes so please contact us for further information.