Red Heels, Big Hearts: Driving 80 Miles for the Christmas Toy Box Appeal

What a truly humbling and inspiring day! I recently had the privilege of making the 80-mile round trip to a bustling warehouse in East London, and yes, I did it all while sporting my trusty red heels!

The mission was simple but incredibly meaningful: to spend the day packing, sorting, and prepping toys for the Christmas Toy Box Appeal. These gifts are destined for children who are currently staying in women's refuges across the country.

The Scale of the Mission

This incredible charitable effort was a partnership between Charity Child in Mind and Rotary. The overarching goal is massive: to pack 1,500 toy boxes that will be distributed nationwide to staffed Women's Refuges, bringing a glimmer of hope to families in crisis.

The sheer volume of donations we tackled was staggering. We were sorting through:

• 41 pallets of brand new, mixed toys

• 6 pallets of gently used toys

Our task was meticulous: every single item had to be sorted by age, gender, and unisex categories. The strict requirement was that each toy box must contain 7.5 toys—a carefully selected mix designed to bring smiles to those little faces.

A True 'Rotary People of Action' Effort

I am so proud to be part of Rotary, who are people of Action! The warehouse was buzzing thanks to a massive turnout of dedicated volunteers:

• Rotarians from Rotary District 1260, including clubs in Milton Keynes, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshires, Watford and St Albans Verulam  and Hertswood.

• Rotaract volunteers from University College London and Winchester.

The hard work paid off spectacularly! On Saturday, the teams completed 300 boxes. But on Sunday, with an even greater number of volunteers joining, we absolutely flew through the work, completing 530 boxes and achieving a major milestone: all the donated toys were completely sorted!

Hope in a Box

This work is so vital. Having seen first-hand how truly awful and scary it is to be in a refuge, away from your home and feeling utterly alone, I know that every box we pack is a small gesture of kindness and normalcy during an incredibly difficult time. It’s a powerful reminder to those children and their mothers that they are not forgotten.

Rotary really does change lives. I am so proud to be part of an organisation that puts action into empathy and delivers real hope when it is needed most.

The next packing event is scheduled for Saturday 22nd November   and Sunday 23rd November  10am-3:30pm ,for more info email jenny on jennymuir01@gmail.com to come along and lend a helping hand.