16
COMMUNITY
december 2023
www.mybracknell.co.uk
Street lights up for Christmas and charity PHOTOS BY PAUL KING
R
esidents from a road in Shinfield have joined forces to light up Christmas with thousands of twinkly lights. The entire road is lit up for Maybank’s light spectacular, the seventh year they have got together, and it gets bigger and better every year. Colm Hanlon said: “There is a small committee who start planning in July although really it is just an excuse to go to the pub!” They ask for a small contribution from each home to go towards the hiring of a cherry picker, necessary to string all the lights across the street, and they use their contacts to get the best prices possible. Colm added: “It takes us a solid three days to get all the lights up with a lot of cups of tea and coffee consumed. It really brings the community together and it has certainly helped us get to
know our neighbours.” More than 300 people gathered for the official switch-on this year and the lights are on from 4pm to 10pm and will remain until the new year. This year they are sponsoring the NSPCC and The Lily Foundation. The NSPCC is the leading children’s charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. They help children who have been abused to rebuild their lives, protect those at risk, and find the best ways of preventing abuse
from ever happening. The Lily Foundation aims to give hope, answers and support to the many children and families that face the challenges of Mitochondrial Disease. Every 20 minutes a child is born who will develop Mitochondrial Disease by the age of 16! There is no cure for this disease which is for many, debilitating and life limiting. The street is kindly supported by sponsors including Neil & Dan of Avocado Property, Fullbrooks Window
Cleaning Service, Omnia and Dobbies Garden Centre who donates a Christmas tree. The lights have already raised more than £1,000 and the team are hoping to get well in excess of that before the end of the festive season.
Local charities team up to bring Christmas ‘presence’ to families in need L ocal food sharing charity, SHARE Wokingham has teamed up with Wokingham Foodbank and First Days Children’s Charity for the fourth time to launch its Christmas Presence project. This joint project aims to give families dignity and choice at what can be a difficult time for many. Founder Claire Revie commented: “The Christmas period should be a time of joy and ease, but this isn’t the case for many people due to a multitude of reasons which are often beyond their control. Our work seeks to empower those we invite to visit the shop with choice and dignity, and hopefully reduce some of the anxieties they may be experiencing.”
The Christmas Presence is a community project run by SHARE Wokingham, First Days Children’s Charity and Wokingham Foodbank, taking place in the heart of Wokingham at the First Days Children’s Charity HQ. Running from 26th November until 22nd December, the collaboration will be host to a range of activities to engage and reach families in need from a Father Christmas visit on Saturdays to arts and crafts, to a beautifully designed and decorated Santa’s Grotto courtesy of Lapland UK. Families will be able to visit this Santa’s Grotto, complete with two shops allocated for parents to choose gifts for their children through a points system. This initiative aims to give families dig-
nity and choice during the festive period which can be a worrisome time for many families. “What started with just toy distribution during Covid-19 has grown into a Christmas hub where families in need can come and choose gifts. The Christmas Presence project has gradually evolved over the last few years, each year with bigger and more exciting initiatives around Christmas. Last year was the very first Santa’s Grotto - an incredible immersive winter wonderland complete with a cosy festive living room space and SHARE is delighted to be repeating it this year.” For more information, visit www. sharewokingham.co.uk or www.firstdays.net
