The NWN Over 80s Parcel Fund packing took place at Sainsbury's as volunteers prepare to deliver the Christmas parcels
Christmas is coming and the NWN Over 80s Parcel Fund packing has happened.
On Sunday (November 28) Newbury's Sainsbury's store played host to groups of cubs from all across the district as they all helped to pack up the Christmas parcels.
From 9.45am onwards Mo Osborne, who has been involved with the cub groups for many years, was in charge of organising all the groups. Covid-19 added the additional stress of social distancing and reduced numbers being allowed in to pack at any one time.
Jo Fulker, Parcel Fund coordinator, said: "The Over 80s Parcels, supported by Greenham Trust, were packed and our thanks go to Sainsbury’s staff, Carol Irwin the PR Ambassador, plus many others who very kindly gave up some of their spare time to do all the packing this year, together with cubs from 1st Inkpen and Kintbury, 4th Newbury, Greenham, 1st Wash Common, 3rd Newbury, and 1st Woolton Hill, who packed so quickly and efficiently the job was complete in just over two hours.
"Our thanks also go to Welford and Wickham and 2nd Newbury and 1st Newbury who also turned up to help only to find the job had been finished in record time.
"We would also like to thank Sainsbury’s who despite everything this year have helped us to achieve what Newbury Weekly News have been doing now since 1897, which is to remember the elderly residents in West Berkshire."
The Newbury Weekly News Over 80’s Christmas Parcel Fund has been bringing a little Christmas joy into the lives of many of West Berkshire’s older citizens for over a century now.
It started off as the ‘Two T’s Fund’, when reporter Frank Stillman thought it was a good idea to support the elderly people in the workhouse, or what was known as ‘The House on the Hill’, with tobacco for the gentlemen and tea bags for the ladies.
Today, the Parcel Fund is not means tested in any way as money is no bar to loneliness, and as times have changed so much over the last 100 years we now send the parcels purely as a seasonal ‘thank you’ from the whole of the community; a way of saying thank you to the recipients for all they have done during their lifetime, and to make sure they know they are not forgotten by their local community.
The 1,900 parcels that were packed have been stored in Sainsbury's storeroom for nearly a week now and are ready to be sent out, tomorrow (Friday) to our distribution centres, where we have more volunteers ready and waiting to deliver them around Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford and many of the local villages to our deserving residents.
If your name is on our list, make sure you watch out for the very kind people who want to ensure you have a very merry Christmas, which we certainly all deserve this year.
Fundraising for the Parcel Fund also continued at the weekend, when Billy Drummond, the Mayor of Newbury, held a coffee morning in Newbury Town Hall.
The event on Saturday, which was held between 10am and 12pm, raised a further £300 towards the Sainsbury’s food bill.
Town crier Brian Sylvester was also stationed outside the town hall, calling people in for coffee.
"Our thanks go to everyone who helped that morning either serving the coffee or coming to drink the tea and coffee and sample the delicious home-made cakes," added Mrs Fulker.
We are delighted to announce that Greenham Trust this year is still match funding donations made to The Over 80s Parcel Fund via The Good Exchange and for each £1 donated online, Greenham Trust will also donate £1 towards a Christmas parcel.
If you would like to make a donation please go to: https://app.thegoodexchange.com/project/18393/newbury-weekly-news/newbury-weekly-news-over-80s-parcel-fund
It is certainly all happening here now at Parcel Towers so make sure you keep an eye on the Newbury Weekly News and newburytoday especially next week when all the fun happens.
