Angel Trust

For 14 years, we have been grateful to our students, staff, parents, carers, families and members of our local community who have collected items and packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, supported by the charity Samaritan’s Purse.

Year on year, we are overwhelmed by your generosity and feel that this is now a tradition truly embedded within our school community and something we wish to continue. After careful consideration and suggestions from some of our parents, students and staff, we have decided that this year, whilst we continue with the tradition of packing gifts for children, we will change the charity with whom we work.

Angel Trust is a registered charity and was formed to support the local people of Darlington and County Durham. They aim to support individuals and organisations in the local community by providing financial support and services to those in need. Their aim is to improve the local community and make life better for those living within it.

Angel Trust support projects that enhance and improve our local community and promote good citizenship. This year we will be working in partnership with them to support young people in our local community who are in need.

Our intention is to pack gift bags for teenagers. These will then be delivered by Angel Trust to children’s wards, families in need, women’s refuges and homeless teenagers, all within the County Durham area.

We also realise that it is becoming increasingly difficult to acquire shoeboxes, so with this in mind we have decided to pack medium size gift bags instead. These can be filled with practical items such as a hat, gloves, socks, toothpaste and toothbrush and other toiletry items. Items could include small puzzles, playing cards, dominoes, school supplies, hair accessories, jewellery or other items suitable for teenagers. Of course, sweets and chocolates would also be really well received. Each gift bag will be simply marked with a sticker to indicate if they are for a teenage girl or a teenage boy.

We hope that this is something that our students can identify more with, packing a gift bag for someone the same age as them, who belongs to our local community.

All students will be given time during Pastoral sessions to work together to pack their gift bags; they can pack a gift bag on their own, work within a group to produce a gift bag between them, provide the gift bag or even organise a list for the group!

The bags will be collected from school by Angel Trust the week commencing 16 December, to be delivered in time for Christmas. We will let everyone know when they reach their final destinations.

We are aware that some people would still like to support Operation Christmas Child and if anyone still wishes to do so, we are more than happy to deliver your shoebox to local Parishes or schools on your behalf.

For more information on Angel Trust and the fantastic work they do within our community, please go to https://www.angeltrust.co.uk/

If you would like any further information, please contact lheads@stjohnsrc.org.uk