At the annual Love in a Box Service at Christ Church, Great Ayton last Sunday an incredible 464 Christmas Shoeboxes came in, ready to be distributed in time for Christmas to some of the poorest children in Romania. The Love in the Box Appeal began in 1994 run by the charity Children in Distress, who work with many sick and poor children in Romania. The charity initially worked with HIV affected children, but also saw great poverty in many areas, so began the Christmas Shoebox Appeal.
Christ Church in Great Ayton has been the local focal point for this collection for many years, and the Vicar, Revd Paul Peverell, was delighted with this year’s response which was up 50% from last year. He said “In a world with so much sadness, people are keen to make a difference for good. I am so pleased by the generous response shown by many from our local schools and other Churches in the area.”
The Boxes are decorated for Christmas and then filled with a variety of goods that a child of the chosen age and sex can enjoy. The boxes are gathered from around the country at Prestons of Potto, and then thousands of them fill a huge wagon to take them to Romania in time for Christmas. Roy Wheeler, who works for Children in Distress told all those gathered at the service that he can personally vouch that these gifts get where they are needed as he goes over with them to help with the distribution.