Councillor Kathryn Rooney is hoping to make double the difference with her Christmas toy appeal this year, with gifts being collected for both hard-up families in County Durham and youngsters orphaned by the Ukrainian war.
Kathryn, who was one of seven people who travelled from Consett to Wroclaw in Poland to volunteer at an orphanage in the summer has launched her third appeal as hard-up families prepare for a difficult winter - but says the cost of living crisis is having a big impact on donations this year.
"People have always been generous, but this year there is a marked decline in the volume of toys coming in for the appeal," said Kathryn, who represents Consett North on Durham County Council. "This time last year, I was coming home to 40-50 Amazon parcels every day from generous donors. This year, it's just not happening. It's sad that the very year we probably need the donations the most is the year that people have cut back the hardest."
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And Kathryn was keen to let local people know that local children would not suffer because this year's appeal was also collecting toys for Ukrainian children. "It’s come to my attention that maybe some people think the local children I unusually support at Christmas won’t be getting the same support as I’m also helping the orphanage," she said. "This absolutely isn’t the case at all and I’d ask people not to make assumptions and contact me if you want to know how this is working this year. By spreading untrue gossip it will ultimately cause damage to the appeal. The requests from the orphanage were for shampoo and toothpaste and it broke my heart that they are short of the basics we take for granted.
"If people have a preference where your donation goes, please message me as I’ve two separate storage facilities for both home and the orphanage. I work closely with social workers, health visitors and schools as well as women's refuges to make sure the toys are targeted at the children who would go without. Last year, we helped hundreds of local families and I would like to do the same this year.
"But I also want to help the children in the Polish orphanages, who will never go back to live in their home country because they have no parents living there. We will be travelling to Poland on December 10 and I hope to have toys to take to the children as well as shampoo and toothpaste."
The Toy Appeal is being supported by dozens of local businesses, where Kathryn has left a box for people to place donated toys inside. She has also had several cash gifts from organisations such as Consett's Empire Theatre and local people, including the parents of Lanchester lad 18-year-old James Dixon, who died last month after crashing on his motorbike. His parents have donated over £1000 of donations made in his name to the toy appeal.
Kathryn also has an Amazon gift list for people to buy toys to be sent to her home and also has opened a GoFundMe page to pay for the transport to get some of the toys and donations to Poland.
The mum of three travelled to Wroclaw in Poland earlier this year with a group who met while collecting for Ukraine at the beginning of March. The Consett appeal - also arranged by Kathryn - saw 14 full articulated lorries of clothing, kitchenware and toiletries go to Poland, with the last four going to Wroclaw. The group, who funded the trip themselves, also bought food, underwear and toiletries for the displaced families using money that had been donated by County Durham people. And Kathryn - a hairdresser by trade - was pressed into duty, which she expects will happen again.
"We will be sleeping in the orphanage when we visit and hope to take the children out for fun visits," she said. There are around 25 children in the orphanage, who have lost their parents to the war. They come to Poland not knowing the language and they will never go home. We just want to do what we can to help them."
"With the cost of living, everyone is tightening their belts, and even if they have money, they are hanging onto it in case any unexpected costs come up down the line. I really urge people to donate if they can.
"No Northern kids will miss out because we are helping the orphanage - we just wanted to spread what we can do to a wider group of people!"
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