Charity News

CHARITY CHRISTMAS CARD SHOPS SET TO RE-OPEN FOR 2021 CELEBRATING ITS 50TH YEAR

The Combined Charities Christmas card shops will reopen this year with a big fanfare to celebrate 50 years of trading and raising over £5.5m during this time. The planned shops for 2020 had to be cancelled just 3 days before the official openings due to the UK being placed back into lockdown. Sheila Hallas MBE and her amazing group of volunteers were not to be deterred and the team plodded on making plans for 2021. Returning late October and early November, the 4 shops will have a large choice and variety of cards from all our charities that you can purchase from. The gifts and novelties range, which help pay for the shops’ costs, will also have lots to offer. This means that by selling the gifts, all cost associated with the shops are covered and every single penny from the sale of the Christmas cards goes straight back to the charity. “It’s a great feeling to be back doing what we enjoy and helping others in the process” said Sheila, “following last year’s disappointment of not being able to open at the critical point when many charities were really struggling due to covid and needed all the help they could get, we are thrilled to be back. We do of course have covid safe protocols in place so customers and volunteers can be assured we are doing all we can to keep everyone safe.” The card shops have various opening dates from 30th October and will trade until early December at Wilmslow, Macclesfield, and Altrincham Libraries and at The Curzon Cinema in Knutsford. Please look at the website for exact opening dates and times and you’ll also find a good variety of cards to buy on the website. www.christmas-cards.org.uk

WING WALK

Due to the lack of funds raised last year as the shops were forced to remain closed, Sheila wanted to do something to make up for this. So in September she undertook a wing walk on the top of a 1940 biplane. Sheila reached dizzy heights and speeds of 140mph with bumps and rolls thrown in. To do this is amazing but to do this at almost 90 years of age is truly staggering. In the process Sheila has raised £5000 to be shared by the charities that sell cards in the shops. If you would like to donate to Sheila’s wing walk fund please do so on https://uk.gofundme.com/f/dn8hf-the-skys-the-limit