For the third year running the group has stationed itself at Sigma’s offices on the Braye Road Industrial Estate where the boxes are checked by a team of volunteers before being placed into larger moving boxes.
‘Sigma have been absolutely fantastic – so welcoming,’ said shoebox campaign organiser Katie Court.
Joining the volunteers was the charity’s patron Lady Cripwell and some of the team from Government House. This would be her last year helping out, she said, since the couple are due to leave the island next year.
‘It’s lovely,’ she said of the annual event. ‘It’s island-wide, everyone is involved.’
Mrs Court said that the local appeal probably started at least 20 years ago and a lot of people dropping boxes off were saying how they remembered taking part when they were children.
But for some it is something they do all year round, she said.
‘Various people collect throughout the year from inside and outside the club,’ she said. ‘Two ladies, Julia and Sue, have wrapped over 1,000 boxes already.’
Each box is checked to make sure the items are appropriate and to ensure that there is toothpaste, a toothbrush, face flannel and soap with the other gifts. This year the local Salvation Army has provided knitted hats, scarves and toys.
Transport from the island and from Alderney is being provided free of charge by Channel Island Seaways, which will ferry two shipping containers of boxes to the UK from where they will be distributed to children in Ukraine, via Poland, and to Romania, Moldova and Montenegro.
The collection centre is open from 10am to 7pm until Saturday but Mrs Court said that with bad weather forecast they would bringing forward collections they were doing themselves and hoped people would bring any donations early to avoid travelling in what are likely to be stormy conditions.
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