Wood Street Mission has launched a ‘Post Your Memory’ campaign to collect memories from people who have been helped by the charity in the past at Christmas time.
The children’s charity, which has been giving out toys and food to local families at Christmas since the 1870s, is appealing to supporters to share their memories of Christmases gone by to help raise awareness about child poverty in Manchester today.
Roseanne Sweeney chief executive of Wood Street Mission said:
“Over the years we have given out toys to tens of thousands of children many of whom decades later still have vivid memories of coming into Wood Street to queue up and get a much sought after doll or drum.”
“Many find it hard to believe there is still need for our work today. Sadly there is with one in three local children living in poverty, and our Christmas project is still by far our largest, with more than twice the number of families referred for help at Christmas as at any other time.”
“We hope that by sharing memories of their own experiences, whether happy or sad, it will help raise awareness about how hard life is at this time of year for struggling families.”
In the first half of the twentieth century, the charity used to hold a Christmas breakfast for children on Christmas morning, while its Boxing Day toy distribution was a major event attended by civic dignitaries. A Toy and Tin appeal in the 1960s was fronted by Coronation Street actor Thelma Barlow.
In the coming weeks Wood Street Mission expects to hand out toys and food to over 2000 families and 4,500 children. It will also be holding a Christmas party for families in Salford during Christmas week.
Some posts so far:
“My granny was a mill-worker but couldn’t always get work and if you were particularly hard-up at Christmas the kids would queue for a parcel. It was always an apple or an orange and a toy, my mum says. There were always lovely dolls on display to be admired they but she never got one!”
“In the First World War my gran was desperate – no income as Grandad was on the front in Belgium. Christmas held no joy despite cleaning and taking in washing. She sent the children to Wood Street Mission where they were given a meat pie each on Xmas day. I could cry for them now.”
“Going to a Christmas Party in the 1950s. I asked Father Christmas for a doll. I cried my eyes out when he gave me a rag doll. I cried so much my older sister took it back to him and asked if I could have a pot doll instead. He swapped it for me.”
Supporters can share their memories online or by posting one of two specially designed postcards available in local libraries or from Wood Street Mission.
