There are stacks of toys, and helpers sorting and wrapping gifts. It’s not Santa’s workshop – but for hundreds if not thousands of Berkshire families it might as well be.
It’s The Cowshed – a charity that helps people in crisis get the things they need.
Volunteers in Winnersh have been working to wrap and deliver personalised packages of children’s Christmas presents.
Rebecca Mole, fundraising manager, said: “I think we must be up to 1,500 at least.
“We’re supposed to be finished tomorrow (Wednesday), but we won’t. It will be nearer to Christmas because we’ve got so much.”
“There are so many families that are absolutely struggling, and Christmas is just one of those times which is generally very expensive anyway.
“So if you’re already on the bread line, trying to find money for gifts is just really difficult.”
The Cowshed isn’t just for Christmas. Volunteers in Wokingham work year-round in an operation that’s impressive for its scale, complexity and efficiency.
“We’re taking about three tonnes a week at the moment, and then we sort through it,” said charity founder Sally Russell, standing in front of cart loads of clothes.
“Everything we can keep then all gets washed and ironed, and then everything we don’t keep we recycle.”
The whole thing is supported mostly by an army of some 220 volunteers. Some of them are stationed around a table sorting through the big refuse sacks of donated clothes. Another team irons everything that’s met the sorters’ approval.
Others are picking their way through the toys and baby equipment that have filled up the shelves and much of the floor, making sure everything is safe, clean and in working order.
Then it’s all sent upstairs to the referral centre, where it’s picked out to suit each individual’s needs, and packaged in bags made by the talented sewing machinists who volunteer three days a week.
The people who receive them are referred to The Cowshed by social services including at Bracknell Forest Council and Wokingham Borough Council, schools or health professionals.
The charity can only help people as a one-off however, but they still handle some 150 referrals a week, Sally estimated.
The pandemic, the arrival of refugees fleeing wars and the cost of living crisis has meant that thousands of people need The Cowshed’s help.
“We’re sort of hoping that we don’t have another crisis next year and that we might be able to stabilise because we couldn’t continue with this growth in demand,” Sally said.
“For now, the focus is on getting people the help they need at Christmas. But the support, donations and time given by the people of Berkshire can help them be ready for next Christmas too.”
