April 2023 – New Link to Hope shoebox leaflet, and The Animal Freedom Festival at the Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Link to Hope
The new Link to Hope Shoe Box leaflets are now available on-line to download, or you can order printed leaflets. https://linktohope.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Shoebox_Appeal_Leaflet_2023-NCM.pdf
There are a few minor changes to last year’s leaflet. In the blue box with the essential items it now mentions that you can include tealights and a holder – before it referred to a candle and holders which may have discouraged a few people, if they were thinking of dinner candles and holders. Remember that even if you are including tealights please include a holder as well – Ikea often sell some for under £1.00 or use a glass ramekin that previously held a dessert. I particularly like the Pots & Co Salted Caramel and Chocolate Ganache plant based desert which comes in a higher sided glass pot which will protect the flame more than a ramekin, and then have a flat base. (A great excuse to eat more desserts 😊).
The other changes on the leaflet are to remove the Head Scarf from the family list and instead suggest a Sewing Kit, and on the Family list they’ve added a note that reading glasses should be no stronger than +2, and added a couple more suggestions for sensory items, so in addition to a lavender bag the other suggestions are a bean bag or stress ball. (You can still put thin headscarves in – but I tend to put them in the elderly boxes as on the pictures when they distribute the boxes it seems to be the older ladies that wear headscarves rather than the younger women.)
The only other change to the contents list I could see is that it now specifies Pen and Paper. They have added information about paying towards the transport costs online rather than taping £3.00 to the box – which would mean less work for the area collectors removing the coins from the forms and paying them into the bank.
This month’s suggestion on the Link to Hope Calendar is Accessories – ‘Bring fun with hair accessories, jewellery, small bags/purses, umbrella, sunglasses.’ Belts and ties are another option, or handkerchiefs or a thin headscarf.
Last month I gave some basic instructions for knitting a head band, and for making a hair scrunchie, which would also fit in with this month’s theme. I’ve previously bought some job lots of costume jewellery from Ebay, but you could keep a look out at car boot sales. I tend to prefer necklaces, bracelets and brooches. If I do get any earrings that are for pierced ears, I make sure I wipe the posts with surgical spirits to ensure they are clean. If you do buy a job lot make sure you pay attention to the description as many job lots are for broken jewellery.
The Farm Animal Sanctuary
Tickets are now on sale for the Animal Freedom Festival at The Farm Animal Sanctuary. The event is on 19th -20th August 2023 – Tickets vary from £5.00-£50.00 depending on age and if you are attending one day or both or camping. Family tickets as well as individual tickets are available.
They are still fund raising to purchase the site the sanctuary sits on. If you are able to donate any money please use the link below.
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/securingoursanctuary
Bags of Education – Door of Hope
I’m filling 3 Bags of Education again this year for Door of Hope. More information about the charity and registration for Bags of Education is available in the link below.
https:/doorofhope.co.uk/bags-of-education/
They ask for a donation of £5.00 and in return you are sent one of their red Bags of Education ready for you to fill, along with a contents list. The donation includes the postage to send the filled bag back to their offices in Ferring, West Sussex, so you don’t need to live near an area collector. You do need to ensure that each filled bag weighs less than 2kgs.
There are some photos below of the contents of the three bags I’ve filled. I’ve added a couple of extra notebooks and felt pens. The contents list states Crayons and Coloured pencils, so I’ve assumed that crayons refers to wax crayons, however to cover all bases I also include felt tip pens.
Another set of items on the list are A5 exercise books, one with lines and one without. I’ve found it challenging to find plain paper exercise books. Hobbycraft sell packs of 3 for £4.00, and I’ve found an online company called Ditzy Doll Stationery who sell one for 99p. Ditzy Doll Stationery have other items that are good value and useful for either the Bags of Education or Link to Hope Shoeboxes. I’ve bought a pack of 6 exercise books for 99p – they are thin but at that price I can add a few 😊though a couple of packets are badly creased so I need to see if I can flatten them out.
This month’s bargain buys
I haven’t come across many bargains this month. B&M have some ladies gloves with letters of the alphabet reduced from £4.00 to £1.00 for 2 pairs. Poundland still had some men’s gloves for £1.00 for 2 pairs. Poundstretcher appear to have men’s socks reduced to £1.00 but I haven’t had chance to check if they do have them in stock.
Ditzy Doll Stationery https://ditzystationery.co.uk/ have been my best find this month. The exercise books, felt pens and colouring sets mentioned above, as well as erasers 6 for 49p, and Moody Faces stretch toys – 6 for 99p or 49p each. (I could only find them when I did a search for 6 packs – when I was trying to find more of the exercise books.) They do have some home and garden items such as a sewing kit which includes a small pair of scissors for 99p, and ladies gripper gloves for £1.29.
Not reduced but Tesco have a 2 in 1 tea light and candle holder for 60p. I know a lot of people struggle to find candle holders for a reasonable price and this seems good value and great that it can hold either a candle or tea light.
Till next month