Children's services
150 backpacks filled with essential items for children in care donated by community choir
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After fundraising for a year, Pelsall Ladies Choir have donated 150 Comfort Cases to Walsall Council to support children in foster care.
Comfort Cases are backpacks which contain essential items children may need when entering emergency care. Items include things such as toiletries, pyjamas, a blanket, a cuddly toy, and age-appropriate books, stationery and activities.
In monetary terms, the 150 backpacks equate to approximately six thousand pounds worth of essential items that will help children in Walsall.
Sarah Scott from Pelsall Ladies Choir, said, “In September last year, we decided to support Comfort Cases UK and set a target to create 50 backpacks for local children. The donation reflects the choir’s ongoing commitment to supporting local causes and fostering a sense of unity and care across Walsall.
“We’ve fundraised by running raffles, using collection tins, plus accepting donations of items from others in the community. We’ve started podcasting to help raise awareness of what we were doing, and even recorded a cover song to help back the campaign.
“We’re absolutely delighted to have smashed our initial target of 50, and to have packed 150 backpacks for local children. Comfort Cases UK have been supportive all the way and came along to our packing event too, which they’ve said is the biggest community packing project since the charity was founded. We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved and the impact this will have on local children.”
The campaign song that has been recorded by the choir will be revealed in a video for the first time at their summer concert on 21 July at Pelsall Community & Arts Centre.
“ Thank you so much to Pelsall Ladies Choir for coordinating a fantastic fundraiser which will directly benefit children and young people in Walsall.
Unfortunately, there are circumstances where our children find themselves in emergency foster care placements without much notice, so to have a backpack with some of the essential things they need brings a huge sense of belonging to them during times of uncertainty.
It’s clear to see this has been a whole community effort to get all the items needed for each backpack, and then of course packing them, and we really appreciate the community’s efforts to bring this all together for our vulnerable children. “
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