Dec 19, 2023, 9:29 PMJune Coombs
Stanborough Park Church Toy Service Brings Christmas Joy for Underprivileged Children
Christmas is a special and magical time for children. Outdoors and in shopping centres, in fact almost everywhere, Christmas lights twinkle and sparkle, Father Christmas appears in person in malls, listening to children’s requests and dispensing a gift. Schools buzz with excitement with parties and concerts; children speak of what they expect to receive. But for some the joy of Christmas childhood will be blighted by parents who are unable to afford to give their children the kind of Christmas they would like, to match those experienced by their children’s peer groups. Embarrassed by poverty and not wanting to see the disappointed faces of their children on Christmas morning these parents/carers are grateful to receive the toys donated by generous members of a Watford church which will bring joy to their children as they unwrap them and enable them to join in with their classmates’ chatter about their Christmas gifts.
For the 62 consecutive years a December Toy Service has been held at the Stanborough Park Church Seventh-day Adventist Church in Watford. Attended by the local mayor, currently elected Mayor Peter Taylor, the donated toys are displayed during the morning service which has a Christmas theme before being distributed to local social workers and charities. This year it was held on December 9th.
Started by the late big-hearted Alf Kelly MBE, who received the award in recognition of his years of unpaid service on behalf of the residents of Watford, the tradition since his death has been continued by his daughter Pat Walton who is also well known to local charities and social workers for her work in helping to supply the needs of their clients.
Pat said that she thought there were more toys than ever this year and, in fact, so many that there wasn’t sufficient space to display all of them so she had an overflow stored elsewhere in the building.
Representatives of local charities and social workers attended the service and afterwards began the task of selecting toys from the display for their clients. The remainder will be bagged up representatives on the day and delivered by Pat in good time for Christmas delivery! All recipients are extremely grateful for the donations which mean so much to their clients who are unable to afford to give their children the kind of Christmas they would like.
Christmas is a special and magical time for children. Outdoors and in shopping centres, in fact almost everywhere, Christmas lights twinkle and sparkle, Father Christmas appears in person in malls, listening to children’s requests and dispensing a gift. Schools buzz with excitement with parties and concerts; children speak of what they expect to receive. But for some the joy of Christmas childhood will be blighted by parents who are unable to afford to give their children the kind of Christmas they would like, to match those experienced by their children’s peer groups. Embarrassed by poverty and not wanting to see the disappointed faces of their children on Christmas morning these parents/carers are grateful to receive the toys donated by generous members of a Watford church which will bring joy to their children as they unwrap them and enable them to join in with their classmates’ chatter about their Christmas gifts.
For the 62 consecutive years a December Toy Service has been held at the Stanborough Park Church Seventh-day Adventist Church in Watford. Attended by the local mayor, currently elected Mayor Peter Taylor, the donated toys are displayed during the morning service which has a Christmas theme before being distributed to local social workers and charities. This year it was held on December 9th.
Started by the late big-hearted Alf Kelly MBE, who received the award in recognition of his years of unpaid service on behalf of the residents of Watford, the tradition since his death has been continued by his daughter Pat Walton who is also well known to local charities and social workers for her work in helping to supply the needs of their clients.
Pat said that she thought there were more toys than ever this year and, in fact, so many that there wasn’t sufficient space to display all of them so she had an overflow stored elsewhere in the building.
Representatives of local charities and social workers attended the service and afterwards began the task of selecting toys from the display for their clients. The remainder will be bagged up representatives on the day and delivered by Pat in good time for Christmas delivery! All recipients are extremely grateful for the donations which mean so much to their clients who are unable to afford to give their children the kind of Christmas they would like.