Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Toy appeal is a huge success
Thank you to everyone who donated so generously
Big- hearted Monklands residents gave as generously as ever to this year’s Advertiser toy appeal – with an incredible 1500 items being donated to make it a happy Christmas for youngsters across Airdrie and Coatbridge.
Gifts of toys, games, toiletries and more rolled in to the three collection points set up by staff at Morrisons and Tesco in Airdrie and at Asda in Coatbridge, and the amazing volunteers of Airdrie good cause XACT safely collected, quarantined and distributed the presents to local community groups.
They have been distributed via Coatbridge community nurses, 16 local primary schools, Greengairs and Salsburgh community councils, the @home centre in Airdrie, St Vincent de Paul and St Andrew’s Hospice.
Dozens of packed trolleyloads of items have been collected from each of the three supermarkets, and with generous donations even still arriving right up until Christmas Eve, XACT will ensure that all the last-minute gifts will continue to go to deserving youngsters in the new year.
The incredible generosity of Monklands residents in donating to this year’s appeal meant that around 700 youngsters, aged from birth to 16, received gifts on Christmas morning – and takes the overall total number donated in the eight years the Advertiser toy appeal has been running to nearly 12,000.
XACT toy appeal co-ordinator Norbert Grant said: “It’s been phenomenal – this year’s appeal has been a great success and we want to thank everyone in the community who has donated or supported it.
“Hundreds of families will be receiving gifts as a result, and it’s been great to be able to link with new organisations like the community councils as the appeal develops every year.
“Donations have come from far and wide and the supermarkets have been amazing, especially the community champions Ann Seagriff, Ann
Binks and Angela Valente. We can’t thank them enough and it’s a pleasure working with them.
“They’ve each had at least six packed trollies for us to collect which is amazing, and we’ve been able to tell them where each set of donations was going.
“It’s kept on going, right up until Christmas Eve. The number of donations has been incredible and we’ll make sure that those still coming in even on Christmas Eve are put to good use too for things like birthdays through the community groups.”
Norbert was assisted by fellow XACT volunteer
Iain Jamieson and their efforts in collecting and distributing the items – including running static donation points at the towns’ retail parks – were supported by sponsors Mclay, Arvill, Fleet Bid and BG Graphics.
He added: “We couldn’t have done it without their support, and we also thank NHS Lanarkshire’s health protection team for their support relating to running the static points.
“The whole community has got behind the appeal this year – it’s been quite humbling to see the response and it’s been a great success.”