No religious pressure in children’s shoebox gifts

SOME of you may have read a letter from an anonymous source in the Examiner on Tuesday, December 12.

The letter alleged that Operation Christmas Child, the largest Children’s project of Samaritans Purse International, place Christian material into the giftfilled shoeboxes donated by schools, churches, businesses and individuals before they are distributed to needy children in countries overseas.

The letter also says that children must attend Christian meetings to receive such a box.

I wish to put the record straight.

Throughout the month of November I have lead a team of people at the warehouse at St James’ Church, Meltham Mills, who have spent their time checking every shoebox received from generous folk from all over West Yorkshire.

The shoeboxes are checked for any religious material, Christian or of other faiths, and any other items that would be culturally sensitive to the receiving children. These items are removed.

I have also had the privilege of travelling to Eastern Europe to distribute boxes.

I can assure you that the customs tape used to seal the boxes in the warehouse is not broken until the box is put into the hands of a child. Nothing is placed in the box. Boxes were distributed in hospitals, orphanages, play parks and churches

Each year those of us who volunteer for this project read this misinformation given out by the secular and humanist societies.

It seeks to harm the work done by Christian organisations and to destroy the faith of those who have willingly checked the 11,450 boxes received at the Meltham warehouse.

Please extend an invitation to any folk you may know who doubt the validity of what we try to do. Bring a smile to a needy child far away who will know that folk in the west have not forgotten them. future trade may be under World Trade Organisation rules.

According to the recent Examiner statistics the UK imports some £192 billion worth of goods from the EU and exports some £122 billion - ie a trade deficit of £70 billion.

Looking at the statistics for vehicles we imported £36.5 billion and exported £14.1 billion.

Assuming a tariff of 10%, the Revenue will receive £3.6 billion and our manufacturers will have to pay £1.4 billion.

If the Revenue compensate such export manufacturers in a similar way to VAT, the Revenue will receive £ £2.2 billion net.

This is the equivalent of over £400,000 a week which could be spent on the NHS.