A VERY big thank you to you if you have been involved in Operation Christmas Child.

I hope that if you have you know just how much you are appreciated. Many volunteers came, sometimes daily over the three week period in November.

Teachers from Bolton School brought pupils for an afternoon and were a tremendous help. In the third week there were so many boxes still to check and pack we didn't think we could be ready for the container lorry due to arrive on November 26. An appeal was issued and so many people came again that by Friday lunchtime almost every box was checked and packed and the warehouse swept and cleaned. The lorry was loaded on November 26 again by volunteers with our final total of 8,628 boxes.

It is the 11th year that a warehouse has been opened in Horwich for shoe boxes for the appeal which has been sending boxes of gifts to underprivileged children for 25 years in countries such as Belarus, Kosovo, Romania, Uganda and this year Serbia.

All the Horwich churches and schools, plus many groups have been involved, This year our area was extended to parts of south Lancashire, therefore increasing our intake of boxes.

On behalf of Show Box management team, thank you to all the volunteers, some driving around each day collecting boxes to take to the warehouse, to Phil Mason without whom would would not have had a warehouse, to Tesco Horwich, as a drop off point, to the warehouse volunteers and to everyone who filled a shoe box.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a rest.

Shirley Sharples

Chorley New Road

Lostock