Giving Tuesday: Still time to donate to this year's NWN Over 80's Parcel Fund

This Giving Tuesday please consider making a donation to the NWN Over 80's Parcel Fund.

The global day, which was started in 2012, encourages people to give whatever they can – time, money, goods, skills – and to celebrate everyone's generosity.

The NWN Over 80’s Christmas Parcel Fund has been bringing a little Christmas joy into the lives of many of West Berkshire’s older citizens and this year we are hoping to deliver more than 1,750 food parcels to people aged 80 and over, who are now on our list, and live in Newbury, Hungerford and Thatcham and many of the surrounding villages in West Berkshire.

This year the parcels are being delivered on both Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10, so if you are expecting a food parcel please keep your eyes open for the kind people who are helping us get it to you.

Fundraising has been in full swing this last week starting with the Sports Quiz at the Bowlers Arms that raised an amazing £642.

This is the most we have ever raised in the Sports Quiz and our thanks go to all the people who attended the night and made it such a fun evening; to quiz master Nic Robbins who spent hours writing all the very difficult questions that challenged our brains and to Richard Hayman from The Bowlers Arms who allowed us to use the pub as the venue.

I would also like to thank the companies that supported us with raffle prizes - Newbury Racecourse, Waitrose, Berkshire Brewery, Highclere Castle, Shalbourne Gliding and personal trainer Hayley Kirby.

The raffle brought in a further £300 on the night.

Our thanks also go to Kennet School pupils and Newbury Rotarians who very kindly gave up some of their time on Saturday and Sunday at Sainsbury’s to both help shoppers pack their food items and at the same time collect donations for the Over 80’s Parcel Fund.

Together they raised a further £1,507 towards the food parcels, thanks to the money they collected being matched by Greenham Trust.

The food is now ordered from Sainsbury’s and next weekend it will all be packed with the kind help of Sainsbury’s staff and cubs from all over the district, who come along for the time-consuming job of putting together 1,750 food parcels.

Our thanks go to Carol Irwin at Sainsbury’s for co-ordinating all the food ordered and allowing the parcels to be packed in what is already a very full storeroom at the back of the store.

An international ‘Day of Donating’ to a local cause close to the heart is on Tuesday (November 29) and called National Giving Day and of course, donations are still very much needed.

If you are able to donate through The Good Exchange, Greenham Trust will match the amount you donate, so in fact double the money raised and to do this please scan this QR code.

Alternatively, please send a cheque made payable to ‘NWN Over 80’s Parcel Fund’ for the attention of Jo Fulker, to Newbury News, Faraday Road, Newbury, RG14 2AD.

The Newbury Weekly News strongly believes that each parcel is sent out as a way of reminding all our elderly residents that they are by no means forgotten and we still appreciate everything they have done during their lifetime.

Keep an eye on the NWN over the coming weeks to see all the parcels reach their destinations.

The parcel fund has been running now for over 100 years – long may it continue!