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Latest charity exploits of locals

STAMP-collecting church-goers in the area are doing their bit for charity.

Members of the Church of the latter Day Saints have collected 35,000 used stamps in the district to help Oxfam and Leukaemia Care.

The charities sort the stamps to identify any special ones that might be particularly valuable, while standard stamps are sold by weight and recycled for their silk content.

The value of the used stamps cannot be underestimated. Those collected in the district alone have produced sufficient funds for Oxfam to provide essential medicines for a village for six months and buy a cow.

Stamps can be donated at Oxfam branches in Warwick Street Leamington, and Market Place, Warwick.

A BRAVE team of workers survived a night in the dungeons at Warwick Castle as part of a fund-raising push.

Nine staff members from The Midcounties Co-operative Pharmacy, based in Warwickshire, bedded down with sleeping bags and pillows in the spooky surroundings to raise up to £2,000 for Women's Aid.

Earlier in the evening they had walked through Warwick town centre in fancy dress to collect charity donations before being given a tour of the castle.

Rebekah Brain, one of the team leaders, said: “I am really grateful to the team for giving up a night to sleep on the cold dungeon floor. Raising almost £2,000 for Women’s Aid made the uncomfortable night all worth it.

“The team at Warwick Castle ensured we were suitably spooked before we went to sleep by telling us scary tales from the dungeons. We all managed to last the whole night but I’m pretty sure everyone was looking forward to returning to their own comfy beds.”

GOLFERS got in the swing for charity and raised £1,135 for Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.

The cash was raised during the annual golf match between Cubbington pubs The King's Head and The Queen's Head.

The decision to donate the money to the air ambulance was made after the charity had come to the aid of golfer Richard Wanless who collapsed in the previous year's match. Happily Richard made a full recovery and competed in this year's event.

Wayne Quinlan, landlord of the King's Head, thanked everyone for their support and generosity.

AN EXPERIENCE of severe brain injury prompted Leamington's Sainsbury's store to collect sackfuls for charity.

The Leamington Shopping Park store collected donations from customers which will be sent for sale at the charity shop of national brain injury charity Headway on Regent Street in Leamington.

Sainsbury's customer services assistant Peggy Shipley’s brother Patrick Meade sustained a severe brain injury in a road traffic accident two decades ago and remained in a vegetative state until his death in 2010.

Peggy said: “As a family we knew nothing about brain injury before Patrick’s accident but Headway was an incredible source of help and support. Through its helpline, the charity provided comfort, advice and guidance, while making us feel like we weren’t going through this alone.

“We hadn’t heard about Headway before the accident, but it’s vital that people support charities like Headway as you never know when you’ll need them.”

The donations from Sainsbury's customers included clothes, books, shoes, games and CDs.

Belinda Marshall, manager of the Headway shop in Leamington, thanked Sainsburys and all those who donated.

She said: “Our entire stock is from donations from the public - without their generosity we would have nothing to sell."

Buy photos» Team leaders Rebekah Brain (left) and Kate Jordan are joined by Pharmacy colleagues as they get ready for their spooky night in Warwick Castle dungeons. (s) Buy photos» Golf cash - golfers with Jo Payne from the Warwickshire and Northampton Air Ambulance. 47.011.001.leam.jg1 Buy photos» Generous - left to right - Harj Mato from Sainsbury's, Carol Tennent from Headway, Nicola Wackett from Sainsbury's and Glenn Whiteley from Headway with over 100 bags donated by the public. 03.012.013.leam.jm1 (www.buyphotos247.com)