Our Toy Appeal Campaign - Thank you!

IT is hard to put into words how incredible an achievement it is that we met the target for the Community Links and Newham Recorder Christmas Toy Appeal.

The dedication and devotion of Links staff makes me so proud to know them. They are simply remarkabe human beings.

And the supporters of the campaign in Newham, East London and beyond brings a lump to my throat.

We have a lot of people to thank. Without all of you, we could not have amassed 13,500 toys for needy youngsters.

Special thanks to John Murphy, Managing Director, Quattro Plant Ltd – for provision of the warehouse facility free of charge. Without this, we could not have met our target.

The story of the family on your right sums up how special this appeal is. It is a lesson for all in caring.

We would like to say thank you to those who helped us reach our target.

Capita NB Real Estate – gave over 200 toys plus �304 staff cash collection; Oval Insurance Brokers – over 150 toys plus �100 staff cash collection; BNP Paribas Securities Services – over 200 toys; Newham Council of voluntary and Burford Business Centre – over 100 toys and �60.

Collections came from: Tower 42 – over 200 toys; Olympic Park Legacy Company – over 100 toys; TPG – over 200 toys and �200 cash; Cantor – over 300 toys; Dunbar Bank – over 300 toys; Freemantle Media – Toys and �1,760 and Deutsche Bank – over 300 toys.

Church Toy Collections were staged by the United Reform Church, Chadwell Heath; East Ham Methodist Church; Brentwood United reform Church; All Saints, Writtle; St Marys, Broomfield; St Saviours, Forest Gate; St Nicholas Church, Kelvedon Hatch, Brentwood and St Marys, Romford

Special Support (and recognition) goes to Glyn Hopkins – Glyn Hopkins Ltd – overall contribution to parties, pantomimes, gifts – 20 years support �3,895. The Fence Club Trust Fund – 25 years of support. Over 400 gifts. Morgan Stanley – over �8,000 worth of toys.

Christmas Fifty Club We want to give thanks to Byrne Bros for �200; South West Ham Child Welfare Society �150; Edward Duthie �50; Business Rates Team at Frank Knight LLP �300; Clark Electrical �50; Hereward and Foster �50; Wiseman and Lee �50; East Thames �500; OMM Business Solutions Lt �50; Capital Group �100; Sheaf Graphics�50 ; Bishop of Colchester �50; IOD Skips �250; Clancy Group Plc �200.

Christmas Party Support also came from Scrutton Estates Ltd, Canning Town- �500; Genesis Housing Group �500 ; Shanks Waste Management Ltd �500; Newham Rotary Club �500; East Thames Group �500.

Parties; Help with the parties we staged came from: Links Event Solutions – for PA system, attractions and entertainments; Harlequin Marquee Hire – for tables and chairs and Dawn Snacks, E14 for crisps

Goods came from: Baker Ross – arts & crafts games – over 500; Letterbox Library – over 100 books; Harper Collins – books; Charion – toys; Book 2 Door – books; Tomy – toys; Evans Publishing Group – books; Orchard Toys – toys; MeikleJohn – toys and games; Licensing Management International – toys and games; Twentieth Century Fox – toys, games and books; Anderson Press – books; Micro Scooters – toys ; Treasure Trove – toys; Le Van Toy Ltd – toys; Wizard – toys; Findel Education – toys, books and games

Individual Donations: Thank you’s to: Laura Holland, E15, R Wickins, E13, A Earles, Mrs Kent, Dinesh Patel, Graham Hertschmore, J Orris, John Peasnall, John Biggs, Danny Vickers, Mary Stock, and Roy Wayre

Thanks also to the: Man Group �675; UBS Operations Group: �480; Erste Group Bank �1,000. And St Bonaventures School staged a toy collection and �88.72 ; Lister School gave �258.36 and Eastcote Independent School gave toys. Thank you all so much.

LONG-TERM supporters of the appeal made their pilgrimage to Community Links to hand over their latest donation in the last few days.

Lake House Construction based in Romford send members of their staff representative group to donate proceeds from their Christmas raffle to sponsor a Christmas Party to the tune of �500 and hand over gifts of over 100 toys.

Special thanks to Lake House Directors for donating raffle gifts and to Toy Zone, Collier Row for a great discount on toys.

They are both regular supporters of Links and the appeal. Their community representative John Brooks and a colleague handed over the toys to Paula Blake from Links.

? We would also like to thank former Recorder reporter Geoff Sutton, now of Microsoft, for his donation to the appeal.

we would also like to thank Aetna Global Benefits for their Toy donation.

And we are indebted to: – Alan Garrood �50, C. Reynolds – gifts; Manhattan Toys – Toys ; St James and St Johns Church, Collier Row, Romford – toy collection and �20; Chiswick School �— �281.44; Freemantle Media – Toy collection; Henderson Global Investors – Toy collection; Chevron Ltd – Toy collection; XL Group – Toy collection; Sony Pictures and Entertainment

– over 100 gifts; Fidelity – Toy collection; Barclays Capital – Toy collection ; Broadgate – Toy collection ; Forest Prep School – Toy collection ; PWC – Toy collection; MF Global – Toy collection; ING – Toy collection; 3i – Toy collection; BNY Merion – Toy collection; Investec – Toy collection; Tate & Lyle Sugars – Toy collection; Kensington Primary School E12 – Toy collection; St Gabriels Church, Woodford — �100; Coults Charitable Trust —�750; Tate &Lyle Sugars – staff collection of �166.44 at Christmas lunch to be matched by company.

Thanks are also due to : Cantor Fitzgerald, Canary Wharf E14 – Toy collection over 300 gifts and BAN Nuttall, Blackwall Tunnel Northbound refurbishments — �250.

Sony — gave the campaign �642.60 staff collection (in addition to toys) and the London Development Agency – Toy collection, and brilliantly, Morgan Stanley –gave another �5000 worth of toys. The East London Business Alliance – Toys and E + HCT Ltd gave �70 they raised through a staff collection.

ONE remarkable story just about sums up how wonderful the Community Links and Newham Recorder Christmas Toy Appeal is.

Vanessa Brennan and her mother and nan stepped into Links this week to illustrate how generations of families support the campaign that is at the very heart of life in Newham.

Vanessa, now 36, has been giving to the appeal for 20 years, writes COLIN GRAINGER.

Her devotion started when she managed to get a work placement with Links over 20 years ago.

She heard about the Toy Appeal and realised how important it was to life in our boorough. “I then became a volunteer for a few years. My nan buys annuals for children throughout the year, she just loves doing it and my mum buys presents virtually every week of the year. She ends up with four of five sackloads. I do the same. Its like Christmas every week!”

Mother Sue Brazil, and nan Dorothy Higgs, 74, live in East Ham. Vanessa now lies in Chadwell Heath.

The family handed over their gifts just at trhe point we all felt we would not meet the deadline.

“It is such a tremendous achievement. We are so grateful to families like Vanessa’s,” said Kevin Jenkins from Links.

We say a real big thank you to doctors, receptionists and all staff at Newham surgery for boosting the appeal. They helped us lurch over the finishing line with a donation of �100 and gifts that were immediately wrapped and sent out to deserving youngsters in Newham,

The gifts were organised by a series of events run by staff at the Custom House Surgery in Freemasons Road, Custom House.

They received fantastic support from patients and their families. They have supported our campaign for the last few years.

“It was just what we needed and helped us reach our target,” said Links’ Kevin Jenkins.