Reading Family Aid were awarded £1,000 by Tesco Community Grants towards buying toys for this year's Toys and Teens Appeal.
Sallie from our committee has been busily choosing and buying a range of toys for teenagers, babies and specialist items for children on the autistic spectrum.

These toys will be added to the hopefully huge number of toys that are currently being donated at the nearly 30 donation points around Reading.

Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens Appeal is BACK for 2022, sponsored by The Chronicle, Reading.  The charity is requesting generous supporters to donate new and nearly new toys at 28 donation points across Reading and the surrounding areas. These toys and gifts will be organised by hundreds of volunteers and distributed to under-privileged children in Reading and the surrounding area, who otherwise wouldn’t receive a present this Christmas. 
Sadly, this year is set to be one of the busiest for the appeal, as more families than ever before have reached out for help this Christmas.
One family who received gifts from the Toys and Teens Appeal know only too well how much this support means to families in need. In December, on a day when Grandmother, Sarah* should have been celebrating her birthday, she instead found herself in hospital fighting for her life. A fire broke out in her flat in Reading, and she was forced to jump out of a window to escape the blaze. She was left in ICU in a critical condition with a suspected broken Pelvis, hip, Collar bone, severe back injuries and potential internal damage. In the fire Sarah lost all of her possessions, including all the Christmas presents she’d saved to buy for her grandchildren. The Toys and Teens Appeal came to Sarah’s aid, and helped to give her gifts to give to her grandchildren at Christmas time. 
Her daughter said “Mentally my mum was really struggling and couldn’t shake the thought that there was somebody so evil that they would set light to a block of flats and endanger the lives of everybody living in the building. This linked to the fact my Mum wasn’t able to give any presents to her Grandchildren who are her world, was really affecting her mental health. We as a family owe so much to Reading Family Aid. Their supporters’ generosity helped us through a very dark time in our lives. For my mum, seeing her grandchildren happy gave her a reason to fight even harder in her recovery”.
 
Sarah said “I owe so much to Reading Family Aid, they helped me when I was at my lowest physically, financially and mentally. I had nowhere to live, lost everything I owned, didn’t know the severity of my injuries, if I would walk again. My children and Grandchildren are everything to me and the thought of everything being destroyed was really getting me down. I would like to say thank you to everybody at Reading Family Aid and all the people who have donated you will never know how much you have done for me and my family”.  
 * Name changed

Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens appeal is back for another year. And with the cost-of-living crisis having far-reaching consequences and more families than ever being plunged into poverty, one of the mums supported by the appeal explains what it means to her:
“I am a single mum of 3 children. My husband is in prison for assaulting us. I am finding it increasingly difficult to manage both financially and mentally. The Toys and Teens Appeal has helped me for a few years now. Each time they reach out to offer help and support, I just feel huge relief. My children wouldn't have a happy Christmas without them. They provide my 3 children with toys at a time when it is just expected to happen. The pressure as a parent with a low income is immense. It gives me anxiety worrying whether I can provide the day to day essentials like food, electricity, gas etc let alone worry if I can get what my children want or what their friends are all talking about for Christmas. But thanks to the Toys and Teens Appeal some of that pressure is removed.  I really don't know what I would do without them.
Please donate to this appeal if you can. It makes such a huge difference to families like mine. It means that my children can have presents at Christmas and tell their friends what they have had, rather than having to admit they have had nothing”.

Anna, a volunteer at Reading Family Aid, who is a mum herself, explains why she supports the appeal every year; “With two children myself, I understand how expensive life can be and how much parents want to do the right thing for their children. My children are in a much more fortunate position than many, so by helping at Reading Family Aid, I can give something back to my community and help other children who may not be so lucky. Reading seems like a prosperous town yet it has a significant amount of poverty and many families will be preparing to spend less this Christmas than they would like to. It’s heart-breaking to think that parents already know that gifts for their children will be unaffordable this year.
Each Christmas, the Toys and Teens Appeal helps ensure that children who would not otherwise receive a single present, have something to open on Christmas morning. Last year, over 2,500 children received a gift at Christmas, through the generous donations of supporters.
Please, if you can spare it, donate a present to the appeal this year, and drop it off at any of the 28 donation points listed below. Visit the charity’s Toy Donations page (www.readingfamilyaid.org/donate-toys.html) for details of how to donate toys and to find out what can (and can't) be used. Or if you can’t access a donation point, please consider donating to the charity’s GoFundMe appeal (https://gofund.me/5038d766). The money raised buys new presents for age groups that aren’t provided for.

Please help us to make Christmas joyful for families in desperate need this year. Thank you.  
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Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens Appeal launches today, sponsored by The Chronicle.  This year the appeal is back to normal, accepting new and nearly new toys at 28 donation points across Reading and the surrounding areas. These toys and gifts will be organised by hundreds of volunteers and distributed to under-privileged children in Reading and the surrounding area, ready for Christmas day.
Sadly, this year is set to be one of the busiest for the appeal, as more families than ever before have reached out for help this Christmas. According to The Times 1.3 million Britons will be plunged into poverty due to the cost-of-living crisis. With rising energy bills, more families are becoming reliant on food banks and will have to make the difficult decision not to heat their homes this winter.  
But the Toys and Teens Appeal hopes to bring a little joy to their lives this Christmas. Sponsored by The Chronicle and organised by Reading Family Aid, the charity is raising funds this year to buy new or nearly new presents suitable for ages 0 – 16, to give to disadvantaged Reading families at Christmas time.
The project was launched today by the Mayor of Reading, Councillor Rachel Eden, who said: “I’m really proud to be launching this appeal, this year it’s more important than ever.  I was recently contacted by people too frightened to top up their prepayment meter because they could see the numbers ticking down when they boiled a kettle. I used to meet with families who had to choose week in week out between a weekly shop and turning the heating on. But incredibly sadly I’m now meeting families that can’t afford to do either. It’s wrong we’re in this situation but that is the reality. What I do know is that Reading is a community that steps up. We want to stand with our neighbours and make sure no one faces a Christmas that is miserable. A present is only one aspect, but it can make such a difference to children and their families”. See her full video below.
Each Christmas, the Toys and Teens Appeal helps ensure that children who would not otherwise receive a single present, have something to open on Christmas morning. Last year, over 2,500 children received a gift at Christmas, through the generous donations of supporters.
Please, if you can spare it, donate a present to the appeal this year, and drop it off at any of the 28 donation points. Visit the charity’s Toy Donations page  for details of how to donate toys and to find out what can (and can't) be used. Or if you can’t access a donation point, please consider donating to the charity’s GoFundMe appeal. The money raised buys new presents for age groups that aren’t provided for.

Please help us to make Christmas joyful for families in desperate need this year. Thank you.  

Families from Alafia and Christ the King travelled either on the coach or independently to join us for a delightful and relaxed day out at Camp Mohawk on 16th August.
The camp staff made everyone most welcome and all the facilities both indoors and outside were embraced by both the children and their families.
I saw parents getting in the pool to swim with their children, families making music together, picnics being enjoyed, and such a lot of joyful laughter could be heard throughout the day.
We would like to thank Local Giving's Magic Little Grants for partly funding this outing.

Some parents said a few thankyous:
"Easy to use coach, My kids love swimming and pool was so good not too deep warm water,enjoys a lot. "

"All place  is safe environment so good . All in door and out door activities. 
Everything is on one place.  Best day visit it was. Thanks to Alafia. 
Would love to go again and again...."
 
"F and I had a wonderful day, the staff and facilities were excellent. It made a fantastic day out, where no one was judging, and felt very relaxing.
Thank you so much to you and your team for organising."

We were so lucky to have such fantastic weather for a day on the family beach at Caversham Lakes on 10th August.
Families from The Weller Centre, RRSG, Alana House, Alafia and Homestart joined in the fun.
Even the most faint-hearted enjoyed getting into the water for a cool down in the scorching temperatures. Everyone was well looked after by the lake staff who ensured everyone kept safe wearing life jackets and under the watchful eye of the water safety team.
The catered lunch of a hot dog (vegan option available), a cool drink and an ice-cream was most welcomed by all.
Lots of families are planning to make a return trip to this local amenity.

On 3rd August Families from Alana House and RRSG joined the coach trip to Bucklebury Farm.
Everyone enjoyed seeing the animals, taking part in the feeding and learning about their care. The trip on the tractor to feed the deer was especially impressive.

On 21 st July a coach left Reading Station for Bournemouth with families from Homestart and The Weller Centre on board.
Everyone was so excited to see the sea and spend a day on the beach. New friends were made, new experiences enjoyed and happy memories made to be treasured.

Some of the families wrote some thankyou's:
​“The trip to Bournemouth was amazing.  I had the chance to make memories with my children I wouldn’t have been able to make myself, my children loved it.  My one year old ran and face planted the beach (with excitement).  My two year old said it was the biggest sand pit he’s ever seen and didn’t want to go home.  It was such a good quality time together and I’m so very grateful.”
 
“A big thank you from my family to you. Thank you for giving us a wonderful time.  The trip to the beach was so exciting for me and my kids. They had a wonderful time.  It is the first time I have had such a relaxing experience.   I really appreciate you for looking after us.”
 
“Thank you so much.  P slept well after the trip but was still very tired the next day.  He had such a lovely time, thank you.”