The Bradley Stoke Journal

Heart FM’s breakfast team of Bush, Troy and Paulina are to broadcast live from the Willow Brook Centre this Thursday (26th November) as part of the shopping centre’s Christmas lights switch on event.

Family entertainment from 3pm in the Town Square will include Santa’s reindeer, children’s rides and a stilt walker.

The centre is promising that “snow will be falling in the square to give that traditional Christmas feeling”. [Ed: If you want to know what the Town Square looks like covered in snow, see our Bradley Stoke Snow photos from February].

There will also be a very special guest appearance from popular children’s TV character Peppa Pig, who will be meeting shoppers at regular intervals and turning the lights on at 5pm.

The Heart Angels will be there too, with free face painting for the kids and the chance for you to give them your Christmas message, which may be read out on air.

The radio station is also staging a competition that will see a lucky Willow Brook Centre visitor win £250 cash to help with the Christmas shopping [terms & conditions apply].

Link Romania Christmas Shoebox Appeal Update

Local shoppers, businesses and students donated a grand total of 475 Christmas shoeboxes in the Kumon Educational / Link Romania charity appeal that has been running over the last few months.

The boxes were collected from the Willow Brook Centre by the Link Romania van last Friday (20th November).

The celebratory event was attended by Bradley Stoke Town Councillors Ronnie Conway-Haskins and Ben Walker, Town Clerk David Chandler, as well as centre managers, staff and instructors from local Kumon centres. A cheque for £950 was also presented to Link Romania.

More photos of the Christmas Shoebox collection event: album; slideshow

Businesses, staff and shoppers at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre have come together in an early expression of Christmas spirit to collect around 300 shoeboxes for needy families in Eastern Europe.

Kumon Educational UK, which has a regional office in the town centre complex, has teamed up with Link Romania as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, and students have been busy filling shoeboxes with gifts ready to be sent to deprived families in Romania, Moldova and Albania in time for Christmas.

A shoebox display has been positioned near the entrance of the centre’s shopping mall for the last few weeks and Kumon’s Regional Manager Kate Sheldon says she is delighted with the response:

“We’d like to thank everyone who’s participated in this appeal and donated a shoebox. The response has been brilliant – overwhelming even – and we now have around 300 boxes piled up. This appeal provides the opportunity for us all to learn about the daily challenges faced by these communities, and is a great way to teach children how important it is to give to those less fortunate than themselves.”

The appeal officially ends today (Friday 6th) but Kate says that shoeboxes will continue to be accepted over the weekend as Link Romania representatives are not due to collect the consignment until early next week.

Since its foundation in 1991, Link Romania has brought relief to thousands of deprived people in Eastern Europe. Through the simple idea of filling a shoebox, anyone in the UK can send a Christmas gift to a family in Romania, Albania or Moldova. Many are desperately poor, living in appalling conditions and struggling to survive the terrible winters with no running water, heating or electricity. Large families spanning three generations may live together in a shack of just one or two rooms, sharing the same life of hardship under one roof.

Lisa Hector, Link Romania’s General Manager, says:

“We’re thrilled to be working with such a like-minded organisation. Kumon’s students can really help us to make a huge impact with our Family Shoebox Appeal. At the same time we’re also benefiting from Kumon helping to raise awareness of our organisation and our mission, and we are truly grateful.”

Advice on what to put in a shoebox and how to pack it is available on the Link Romania website.