IT’S just five weeks until Christmas.
As the year draws to a close, excitement and anticipation is rising among children of the borough, as they imagine opening gifts on Christmas morning.
A Wokingham appeal aims to make sure that every child can enjoy this moment, not only those whose families can afford presents this year.
The Giving Tree, organised by Gill Mckernan, gives generous Wokingham residents an opportunity to buy gifts for youngsters who might otherwise go without a gift at Christmas.
Businesses taking part this year, are:
PriceWaterHouseCoopers
BDO Guardian Financial Services
Simply Digital Group
Group 1 Farnborough MINI
Infor Limited Airlife Ariat
TMC Pharma Services
They are all helping to make this year’s scheme possible, by setting up trees in their workspaces bearing Giving Tree tags so that staff members can contribute a child’s gift.
Judy Ashworth from Guardian Financial Services said: “This is the third year we’ve supported the appeal.
“We love The Giving Tree, and the way it supports underprivileged children.”
To take part, people choose a gift tag from a Giving Tree, with a child or teenager’s Christmas request.
Buying what is requested, they then return the gift to the same tree, unwrapped.
From there it is collected and distributed to a child in need, to be opened on Christmas Day.
Collecting charities this year are:
Transform Housing Home Start Dingley’s Promise
Kaleidoscopic Berkshire Women’s Aid Berkshire Vision
Barnardo’s The Cow Shed First Days
The Link Foundation Reading Family Aid
All of these groups will pass on Christmas gifts to children they serve.
Shoppers can find Giving Trees at:
Tescos at Wokingham, Tesco Warfield, and Tesco Martins Heron
Wokingham Library Newbury Building Society
WBC offices Nirvana Spa.
Gill Mckernan said: “I have been very busy this week delivering the gift tags to the venues and helping to put them on the Christmas trees. “What a great start already, as within a day, I have been contacted by Wokingham Library, Wokingham Borough Council and TMC to ask for more tags, as their trees are empty.”
