Shoebox gift donations for Ukrainian children
ACHURCH is collecting 500 shoeboxes full of donations to be sent as Christmas presents to children in Ukraine.
St Edmund’s Church in Falinge has already collected 250 shoeboxes-worth of donations and plans to double the number to ensure children in Ukraine have something special to open at Christmas.
They have been supporting Ukraine since the outbreak of the war with Russia and have been working with Michael Buczman from the council’s Environmental Management team, who organised letters from schoolchildren to be sent to Ukraine earlier this year.
The church is also raising money through two Christmas concerts on December 10 and 17, which will feature the winners of Lancashire choir of the year Rossendale Male Voice & Rossendale Ladies as well as Rochdale Cantare Ladies Choir.
Funds raised from the concerts will go to St. Nicholas Children’s hospital in Lviv, Rochdale’s twin city in Ukraine and the church is also supporting UK medical, a Manchester-based charity doing work in Ukraine.
Howard Bowden, chair of the friends of St Edmund’s group, said: “We all felt we needed to do more so we started with the idea of fundraising medical equipment for St. Nicholas Children’s hospital in Lviv in Ukraine. We started again with the shoeboxes sending gifts for Christmas.
“Currently the church is full of donated items which will be going off in December to a facility in High Crompton. It then goes out in big horse transporters to Ukraine.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with the support we’ve got from the community.
“As long as this conflict goes on this will continue. We want stuff to get out there in time for Ukrainian Chirtismas because we want to put a smile on the faces of the children.”
Donations have come in from across Greater Manchester including Stockport County youth team, St Michael’s Primary school in Middleton as well as many donations from the community of Rochdale.
Support and funding for the two concerts has also been provided by Rochdale Council North Township, Rochdale Rotary Club and Redfox Countryside Services thanks to the owners Phil Sedman and Jim Kay.
Howard added that they were desperately on the lookout for things for children such as small toys, hats, gloves, colouring books and pencils. It’s going really well but we’d like more,” he said. “It’s marvellous the response we’re getting. You name it we’ve been getting it.
“Without realising it, it impacts us here greatly.
“The state of the economy at the moment is impacted with what’s going on in Ukraine. They’re a major exporter of grain that feeds Europe.
“We want to show our support and there’s a large, historic community in our town so you feel close to it. We want to raise as much as we can. We just can’t ignore it.”