In 2011 Save the Children and many other charities have been working hard to help people in East Africa. As you will know, the worst drought in decades has wiped out livestock, crops and income in large parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia and caused a devastating food crisis effecting 12 million people. Because Save the Children was already working in the region they were able to respond quickly and save many lives. Meanwhile the charity is campaigning in the UK to make sure that no child here is born without a warm home, the right food or the chance of a good education.

During the summer ITV showed a series of programmes called Born to Shine, a talent show in which celebrities were taught a new skill by a child, with profits from the voting phone lines going to Save the Children as well as the opportunity to send a donation. In conjunction with this, the government promised to double all money raised by the programme and by branches such as ourselves up to September 30th so the £202 we made with a Tombola in Pickering Market Place at the end of August became £404!

The local branch of Save the Children has been in existence for 34 years and, for most of that time, we have been able to raise money by selling Christmas cards, decorations, presents and so on. Lots of local people have supported us by buying things at our coffee mornings or our stalls in the Market Place or the Co-op. Many others have regularly ordered cards and presents from our catalogue and we are extremely grateful to you all. Unfortunately Save the Children has found that producing a catalogue is no longer cost effective and we have lost an important means of fund-raising locally.

Our popular annual Ceilidh will take place in the Memorial Hall on Saturday 17th March 2012 7.30 to 10.30pm with the Jackhare Ceilidh Band. We hope to see lots of you there.

Margaret Wilson.