Donors help Parcel Fund reach £20k goal

Money is still rolling in for the Over 80s parcel fund

MONEY is still rolling in for the Newbury Weekly News Over 80’s Parcel Fund.

The NWN would like to thank The Town and Manor of Hungerford, Greenham Trust, Newbury Rotary Club, Soroptomist International, Bucklebury Parish Council and many anonymous donations we have received.

Without all this support, we would not be able to pay our Sainsbury’s food bill of nearly £20,000.

When Frank Stillman, chief reporter and later editor of the Newbury Weekly News, set up the Two T’s Fund in 1897, to provide some festive cheer for those less fortunate, he could never have imagined that more than 100 years on the renamed ‘Over 80s Parcel Fund’ would be a major event in the local community each year.

Frank’s idea came about when he set up an appeal to provide a Christmas supply of tobacco for the men and tea for the women.

The response was overwhelming and the residents of the local “House on the Hill” were able to enjoy a strong cup of tea.

Today, fortunately, we no longer have the “House on the Hill” and the contents of the food parcel has changed over the years.

This year there will be more than 2,000 Christmas bags filled to the brim with food bought from Sainsbury’s, delivered to all the elderly residents on our list.

Today’s parcels are not means tested in any way – they are just a way of saying a big thank you to the recipients for all they have done during their lifetime and reminding them they are not forgotten by their local community.

The deadline for adding a name to our parcel list is tomorrow (Friday).

So if you need to add a name of an over 80s person living in Newbury, Hungerford or Thatcham to our list, or to remove the name of someone who no longer requires a parcel, please email jo.fulker@newburynews.co.uk

Quizzes are not over yet and the more difficult one for adults will be happening tonight (Thursday), at the Bowler’s Arms, Falkland Cricket Club, at 7.45pm.

The evening is always great fun so if you are a sporty person, or just fancy a night out come along and join in the fun (see sports pages for further details).

This weekend will see our big collection and bag-packing at Sainsbury’s and we have Kennet School children and girls from Downe House School giving up their time to help shoppers pack their bags to raise money to help us reach our target.

At the same time, Newbury Rotary Club members will be collecting at the door and hoping shoppers will help fill our distinctive red tins to the brim.

It is not yet too late to contribute in any way.

If you are planning on holding a fundraising event, contact Joanne Fulker so we can arrange for photographer to come along.

Alternatively, if you would like to contribute, send a cheque for the attention of Joanne made payable to ‘NWN Over 80s Christmas Parcel Fund’ and post it to Newbury Weekly News.

To keep up to date on the latest parcel news, see the Newbury Weekly News each week from now until our big delivery day on Saturday December 9.