Youngsters donation proposal sparks community drive
A five-year-old from Bradford kick-started his own chocolate Easter egg collection last week as hundreds of treats were dropped off at two West Yorkshire hospitals.
Young Aman Chahal said he wanted to ‘donate his own pocket money’ to help other children in need during the holidays and with the help of local faith group, Sant Nirankari Mission (SNM), his wish was fulfilled.
Dozens of chocolate eggs were taken to the children’s wards at Leeds General Infirmary and Bradford Royal Infirmary in hope of bringing a smile to the young patient’s faces.
Project co-ordinator and volunteer, Mohinder Ram, said the initiative really ‘took off’ after Aman’s selfless declaration with support coming from across the community.
“Every year we usually have a collection to help those in need during Easter but this time we decided to do something a little different,” he said.
“It all began from Aman’s idea and from there we arranged for this collection to be carried out and handed over at both the Leeds General Infirmary and BRI.
“Thanks to the generosity of Asda Superstore Manager, Davey Crabtree, we were able to make the donations stretch even further and bring joy to more children on the wards.”
In Bradford, the festive treats were warmly received by staff nurses, Sister Karen Wright, Tracey Martin, Fran Prusinski and Lorren Hopper, who joined the volunteers in handing out some of the gifts to patients.
Local congregation member, Manjit Kaur, who was joined on the day by her son, Ashwin Reio Nandra, said it was an extremely rewarding project to be a part of.
“We are donating these small gifts on Easter to bring a smile to children’s faces,” she said.
“We wish them all good health and a speedy recovery, and from everyone at Sant Nirankari Mission we wish everyone a Happy Easter.”
Young and old members from the SNM faith group took part in the initiative and following its success, Mohinder says it could likely be repeated in future years.
