Season's greetings from Wood Street Mission

22 Dec 2016

Roseanne Sweeney, Chief Executive of Wood Street Mission, has sent a message of thanks to everyone who supported the 2016 Christmas Project

We have been very moved by the huge response to our appeal Christmas Should Be About More Than Survival. Thank you so much to everyone who donated toys, food, money or volunteering time. We are still dealing with the avalanche but tens of thousands of pounds worth of donations have already been distributed to struggling families across Manchester and Salford and we intend to keep going until the office closes tomorrow afternoon.

This year we did things differently and distributed goods through our community shop and two toy fairs - as well as agencies working with families – so parents could choose toys suitable to give to their children as presents on Christmas Day. The shop has been very busy with 1000 family visits over three weeks, something we could not have done without the help of 400 volunteers from the nearby businesses.

The scale of the project puts a lot of pressure on our small team. But the feedback from families has been wonderful and made it all worthwhile. One mum who queued from early in the morning, on the first day the shop opened, cried as she made her way to the bus stop afterwards. She told the volunteer who helped carry her bags that she was crying with relief because she would now be able to give toys and treats to her three small children on Christmas Day – something she had never thought she would be able to do.

That’s what it’s all about. Giving kids who don’t have much something to smile about on Christmas Day. Thank you so much for your support.

With best wishes from everyone at Wood Street for Christmas and the New Year.