The people of Tonbridge have once again shown their generosity and community spirit by swamping the Martin & Co office in the High Street with charity donations.
At the end of November, Martin & Co (Tonbridge) put out a plea for goods which could be given to charities which help the elderly, homeless and others in need over the festive period.
In the last month members of staff have been overcome by the amount of people visiting their high street office to donate food, toiletries and gifts for this cause.
This week Associate Vicar Sheila Perkins and Associate Vicar Miriam Barker visited the office to collect the donations for distribution.
Miriam said: “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of people and so thankful to everyone at Martin and Co for having the great idea of getting others involved and for all the gifts they have delivered.
“The gifts are wonderfully varied and all useful, from packets of rice to tins of tuna, sweets and gloves. Everything we’ve received today will be used in one of a variety of ways. Some will be used for gifts for the people who come to the St. Stephen’s Christmas lunch on Christmas day (there will be over 50 of us sitting down to eat together) and the rest will be split between the Tunbridge Wells Winter Shelter, the Street Teams who work with homeless and disadvantaged people in Tunbridge Wells and our own St. Stephen’s Food Bank.
“Thank you Martin and Co; you are inspiring.”
Martin & Co (Tonbridge) director Robert Gordon-James added: “I’m really proud of the staff and the great effort they made to make our appeal a success. It will help to make it a happier Christmas for many people in Tonbridge.”
