Operation Christmas Child is an annual project run by the Christian international relief charity Samaritan’s Purse.  Used shoe boxes are packed with small toys, educational supplies, sweets and other gifts for young children who could otherwise receive no Christmas present at all.

The 2011 appeal resulted in over 12,000 shoeboxes being gathered at the Norfolk collection point before being transported to Norwich’s twin town in Serbia, Novi Sad. 

The mammoth logistical operation of collating, sorting and packing the donated shoeboxes has been based in a Spixworth barn, however facilities have proven too basic with some volunteers falling ill due to the cold conditions.

The charity is seeking an alternative venue with adequate space to sort, pack and fill the boxes, and then to contain them ready for transporting.   

Shirley Barber, the Operation Christmas Child Coordinator for Norfolk, explains: "We need somewhere from the end of October until the end of November available from Monday to Friday, 10 am – 3 pm. We need to be able to make a hot drink as the volunteers coming in after collecting are usually cold!  Toilet facilities are necessary too.”