Jingle Bells at the ready, it’s time for our Christmas schemes to be launched!

We are doing the Elf and Reindeer schemes again as they have been so popular in the past. The only difference is this year they are being run by 2 volunteers because last year I was unable to keep up with Elves, Reindeer and general Post Pal work etc.

Maria is being the “Head Reindeer”. A Reindeer is someone who is assigned a young child and sends 9 cards during the month of December, one from each reindeer, talking from the reindeers perspective i.e. talking about the sleigh getting full, getting ready for the big night, loving carrots being left out etc. It is not only fun for the child receiving the cards, but also for the volunteers getting to do imaginative writing. In the past one girl believed the reindeer wrote to her as she helped look after her disabled brother. Another little boy was very relieved as Father Christmas definitely knew he was in hospital so wouldn’t be missed out.

If you would like to volunteer to be a reindeer please send an email.

Lorna is being our “Head Elf”. She will assign an Elf (volunteer) to every child and the elf then gathers gifts up to the value of £15 and sends them in December. It is a little like the Christmas shoe box appeals we are all familiar with. Anyone of any age can be an elf, whether it’s little children picking gifts which they think someone their age would like, or adults who now have a good excuse to buy that pink fluffy present! We like to assign 2 Elves to every child as in the past people have committed to being an Elf but then not sent anything (or let us know they couldn’t continue) so that means we have 240 volunteers to find!

If you would like to volunteer to be an Elf please send an email to Lorna. Please include how many children you would like to be an Elf too, and any requirements i.e. a young girl. We have a particular problem finding volunteers for teenage boys so if you would be happy to take one on please let Lorna know.

You can of course send Christmas cards or gifts (of any size or value) to individual children by following the “5 Easy Steps” on the home page.

After writing this I will post an email, please consider forwarding it to friends, family, posting on blogs, message boards etc. Hopefully we can bring lots of sparkle to families who have had a very difficult year.

I will sign off with a little poem which I like,

I heard a little Christmas
in the laughter of a child
I saw a little Christmas
in a snowman’s jolly smile,
I felt a little Christmas
when I have a gift away…
Just little things…
An yet they filled my heart
with joy today…

Take care, Vikki

Email to send.

Hello, this Christmas I’m planning on making some sick children smile simply by sending some post.

Post Pals brightens the lives of seriously ill children (most of whom are fighting cancer or going through transplants) and their siblings by featuring them on the website www.postpals.co.uk with their own page, with their story, interests and a forwarding address. Members of the public from around the world can log on and send cards, letters, emails and small gifts to brighten the child’s day and let them know someone cares. Post Pals does this all year around but at Christmas they run some special schemes.

Reindeers (volunteers) are assigned to a young child and during December they send a card from each of Santa’s reindeer, talking about anything from loving it when carrots are left out or how full the sleigh is getting. Its great fun to use your imagination and the children really enjoy it, one boy was so relieved as it meant santa definitely knew he was in hospital at Christmas and another girl thought the reindeer wrote to her as she was good in helping her mum look after her disabled brother.

The elf scheme is another project, a little like the Shoe Box appeal we all know. You’re assigned a child and you have a read their page to get to know them. Then you gather up gifts to the value of £15 and send them off to the child in December. Post Pals needs to find 240 volunteers for this so please spread the world about how to make a difference this Christmas.

You can also send christmas cards or little gifts to any child, just log onto www.postpals.co.uk click on “News” to find out how to volunteer and see how a simple gesture can make a big difference.

About Post Pals;

www.postpals.co.uk – Post a Smile on a Sick Child’s Face
Winner of Queens Award for Voluntary Services 2008
Supported by Princes Trust and Children in Need
Patron Fearne Cotton
Post Pals on the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/3673782.stm

Saturday was a very busy day for Post Pals as volunteers congregated in Viks’ house to spend the day choosing, wrapping, bubble wrapping, brown papering, weighing and stamping up parcels for 116 children! We didn’t quite make it through all the children but we got through 13 pages out of 16 A4 pages of details! There will be lots of smiles in the next week or so as the parcels arrive with the Pals and their siblings. Luckily Ellie’s fundraiser has been going well as the weekend cost over £200 (that’s not including the gifts as we already had them) – I think Post Pals keeps Royal Mail afloat!

A big thank you to Jan, Corrine, Lise, Teresa, Dawn and Steve (my parents) and Tania, Nina, Jack and 3 year old Ella (who helped choose coloured balls for the children) from Georgies Fund for all their help. I think everyone went home tired and aching from doing so much wrapping but the smiles will be worth it!

Thank you also to James (who is volunteering for Post Pals as part of his Duke of Edingbourgh Award) and Annie for their help in parceling up Halloween costumes earlier in the week.

I will be posting the details for the Christmas scheme’s in a couple of days time so please check back.

Harry G’s 12 year old sister Ellie and their Mum have been working very hard to organise a sponsored event for Post Pals. Ellie and her school friends will be “rolling” 2.5 miles from their home in Staffordshire to the Royal Oak pub complete with a police escort!

Ellie said:

At the Post Pals BBQ I realised what a nice charity Post Pals is and that I would like to help them by raising money to help other kids just like Harry G has been helped.

At my school I put forward Post Pals to be our charity for this year and I am organising a sponsored rollerblade to take place on 19th October 2008 where some of my class mates will join in too. If you would like to donate or sponsor me, please send a cheque to Harry G, c/o 18 The Oaklands, Church Eaton, Stafford, ST20 0BA made payable to Post Pals and we will forward all monies received together.

They have been working so hard so please sponsor Ellie and her friends and enable us to help more families like theirs who have a child with a serious illness or disability.

Donations can also be sent via our donate page and please include a message to say it is sponsorship money.

Good luck to all everyone for the 19th, we can’t wait to hear about it and see some photographs.

Below is a picture of Harry and Ellie at the Post Pal BBQ in July infront of the “wall of Pals” who we have helped over the years.

Hello, Snapfish are running an offer for 20 free photocards with envelopes that you can either pay £1.99 postage for or pick up from Jessops. I thought it would be a great way to boost the amount of cards we have in stock and be able to get some of our “no more chemo” cards (thank you Helen for designing them). I was wondering if anyone could help by placing an order and then sending them on to Post Pals please? I can either send you a picture or you can do your own as of course you’re welcome to use it to boost your own card supplies for sending to Pals.

If you go to www.snapfish.co.uk/bountycards
Order the set of 20 cards in the size 8×4
Then enter the code btcjt94p at the check out.

It says the offer is running until the 31st of December.

Thank you!