Children in Distress - Castleford’s Love made real

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Castleford’s Love made real

Celebrating giving at Castleford UR Church

Castleford United Reform Church has been filling shoeboxes for the “Love in a Box” appeal for the last five years. This year, for the first time the local paper, the Pontefract and Castleford Express joined in with a photograph which proved a welcome incentive bringing interest from others in the town.

When the congregation first took part in the Charity’s Shoebox Appeal their thirty or so members only filled a few boxes. This year, however, a sign of how support has grown was that from around August their Shoebox Appeal Volunteer Co-ordinator was being nagged for a list of things to collect, not just from church but a host of Coffee Morning customers. In the end there were 82 boxes from church, Coffee Morning customers, Boy’s Brigade and Guiding sections and from people in Castleford, who had heard that the Church was a collection point. The Shoebox packing night they organised is always a happy occasion, full of laughter and excitement. Everyone tries really hard to make the boxes interesting and exciting for the children. In the last few years the congregation have also organised a service before the boxes are uplifted when they are taken into and “decorate” the church. The children who eventually receive this “love in a box” are the focus of thoughts and prayers of everyone involved and “Vision” and the work of Children in Distress features throughout.

The members of this big hearted congregation jointly sponsor a number of infants and children in the charity’s hospices and children centres; they also have regular collection of goods for the thrift shops and for despatch to the children hospices in Romania. As Alison Carpenter Shoebox Co-ordinator says “We hope that we are able to support the work that Children in Distress do in our own small way and are glad that we can spread the word to others through Love in a Box”.

If you would like to know more or follow the Castleford UR Church’s example or help Children in Distress care for terminally ill children or bring a little “Love and Box” to children forgotten at Christmas please contact Jane Russell on 01751 432089 or email janerussell@childrenindistress.org.uk