Hadleigh, Suffolk United Reformed Church Minister : The Rev'd Jim Dalgleish MSc www.hadleighurc.org.uk Telephone 01 473 827 895 eMail Minister

Every year at Christmas , literally millions of gifts are donated by hundreds of thousands of people and assembled in shoeboxes, for distribution in countries of the former Eastern Block and others too.

The assembly of the boxes for transportation in this part of Suffolk has been conducted at Vauxhall Farm where a Barn has very kindly been put at the disposal of the Operation. The shoe-boxes have been collected at almost every church in the neighbourhood, taken to the Farm where they are classified into age-groups, packed into storage boxes and then collected by HGV, and transported to distribution centres in Eastern Europe.

Fundraising in March

Here are some photographs of the work at Vauxhall Farm mostly taken on Saturday 21st Nobember 2009.

Checking the boxes. Each one must be checked to ensure the gifts are safe , suitable, and do not break Customs and Excise regulations. All ages take part. Everyone is enthusiastic.