News Release

Wrapping up a Generous Donation

Members and friends of the Oxford Wards, Reading Stake, volunteered a phenomenal 350 hours, to help raise £3640 for the Children's Critical Care Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
During the week leading up to Christmas the fundraising project spear-headed by Sister Margaret McLuckie, saw many members carefully gift-wrap hundreds of eagerly awaited presents from shoppers within the Westgate Shopping Centre, where the donated money will help provide specialist care for those children who bravely fight against serious conditions and illnesses.

Sister McLuckie was boosted in her efforts by the generosity of a local Sainsbury’s store. The supermarket giant donated many of the materials required, including large amounts of quality wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and tags.  However, it must be recognised that without the kind help of the Westgate Centre management team providing a platform within the shopping mall to wrap the presents and also providing storage space to hold the materials all week, the work would have come to nothing.


Samantha Chaundy of the Westgate Centre management team who kindly opened their doors to the fundraisers said, “We were delighted to welcome Margaret and her team of gift wrappers to Westgate Shopping Centre in December and were thrilled to help support such an important service such as the Children’s Critical Care Unit. It’s a real testament to Margaret and our shoppers that such a fantastic amount of money was raised for this very important local cause. We look forward to working with them again next year.” Sister McLuckie has already confirmed that the gift wrapping service will be available again in the same place during the week leading up to Christmas 2013, starting on 16th December.

Expressing her sincere gratitude to the generosity of Sainsbury’s and the Westgate Centre Management, Sister McLuckie also issued her praise to others saying, “It was incredible to see so many people have the desire to get involved. Without the gratefully received donations from the local shops and the shoppers of Oxford we wouldn’t have achieved the amazing sum we did. I am grateful for every donation – big and small, material and monetary. Some people even dropped off their leftover paper and ribbons from their own Christmas gift wrapping.  Store manager, Oscar Matalobos, remarked, “The team at Oxford St.Clements Local branch of Sainsbury’s are delighted to contribute a further £300 towards this amazing cause. Margaret is a truly inspirational charitable individual, a huge well done and thank you from the team and the other Oxford Locals.”

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