Great opportunity for Tipperary people to bring joy to lives of poor children this Christmas

Above: At the Christmas Shoebox Appeal launch at The Showgrounds Shopping Centre in Clonmel were, from left, Ber Doyle, Amelia Poniedzialek, Margaret O'Grady, Joanna Kiely, Helen Rafferty, Ethan from Dealz, Cllr Siobhán Ambrose and Paul Blanche, Manager of The Showgrounds Shopping Centre

An opportunity to deliver Christmas gifts straight into the hands of children affected by poverty in Eastern Europe and Africa is available through Team Hope’s Shoebox Appeal.

Approximately 2,000 boxes were collected last year from Clonmel, Cahir and Carrick-on–Suir, with 175,000 boxes collected throughout the country, and it’s hoped that these numbers will be matched this festive season.

Team Hope says that these shoebox gifts are often the only gift that a child will receive at Christmas and the joy that they bring “is incredible”.

This year’s appeal was launched at The Showgrounds Shopping Centre in Clonmel, where there is a dedicated unit for boxes to be dropped and collected.

Boxes may be dropped from Monday to Friday from 10am-2pm and 6.30pm-9pm, or into Dealz stores.

People filling a shoebox with gifts for boys and girls aged 2-14 are requested to wrap the top and base of the box but not to seal it, as the team have to check every box to make sure that the items enclosed are suitable for children.

€5 has to be included with each shoebox along with the other items to cover the cost of transporting the boxes.

At the beginning of December all of the shoeboxes collected will be sent to children in Africa and Eastern Europe.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose thanks all of the Christmas Shoebox volunteers, manager Paul Blanche and the staff in The Showgrounds Shopping Centre for making the unit available free of charge; and Dealz, who are selling special Team Hope Christmas shoeboxes that don’t need to be wrapped.

Cllr Ambrose also extended her gratitude to the many local schools who are supporting this “wonderful appeal”.

Michéal O’Brien of Team Hope said the charity was extremely grateful to Paul Blanche and Cllr Siobhán Ambrose, adding that it was great to see such a level of cooperation in the community.