Working for kids

Last night Chris and I went to the Intercontinental Hotel to conduct an auction for KidsOut, a charity which helps disadvantaged children and young people throughout the UK. One of the charity's challenges after a local authority has removed a child from an abusive father to rehouse them with the mother - is to move in to help them begin a new life, a situation the vast majority of us could not begin to comprehend. A dedicated team of volunteers had worked hard to fill the ballroom and supply worthwhile items for the auction and, in a time of recession, seemed delighted that the auction raised £35,500. One of the services the charity provides children who have been rehoused and find themselves in a strange environment having had to leave everything behind them is to give them a set of new toys which are tailored according to the child's individual needs, and cost approximately £100 each. 57 people pledged to supply a toybox for a child, raising an extra £5,700, and making the evening thoroughly worthwhile.