University boosts town's gift appeal

Monday, 19 December 2011

l to r: Lin Rudd and Bridgette Blackman, Student Help Desk Advisers; Kelly Borlase-Hendry, Student Financial Support Team Leader; Professor Tony Downes, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Phil Edwards, Clerical Officer Central Room Bookings

Thank you to everyone that organised the University's ‘Toys and Teens' Christmas tree this year. Once again, staff and students at the University of made a wonderful contribution in support of the Reading Chronicle's Toys & Teens campaign with Reading Family Aid.

Hordes of toys, games, books, toiletries, clothes, and cuddly toys were placed under the University's tree in the Carrington building ready to be collected and sent to the Reading Chronicle's distribution point in Portman Road.

From there the toys will be sorted into categories suited to children and teenagers in Reading who would otherwise have very little this Christmas.

Professor Tony Downes, Acting Vice-Chancellor, said: "We collected toys at the University's Whiteknights Campus and the Institute of Education, which will be one of the last acts of staff at the old Bulmershe campus before the Institute moves into its new home at the London Road campus in January.

"With 18,000 students and 4,000 staff, we are proud to be a major part of the Reading community, and it is great to see so many people from the University doing what's most important at Christmas - reaching out and helping others."