Cabbage_Crate
16th Dec 2011, 18:16
A Swindon shop is providing sweets for troops on the front line this Christmas.
Sweets Galore, which has two shops in the Brunel Centre, Swindon, have been sending the boxes of traditional sweets to servicemen and women for a year now after they were visited by RAF corporal Lou Phillips.
She told the store owners, Sue and Dave Bracken, how nervous she was about going on her first tour of duty, so the pair decided to help her feel at home with some familiar sweet treats. The couple then started putting together boxes of the old-fashioned sweets they sell to send to the troops and with help from members of the public donating sweets they have now sent more than 50 boxes.
Sue and Dave have been surprised by how much of a success the campaign has been and hope it will help over the tough Christmas period.
Sue said: “It was literally one of those things off the top of my head. It was an idea that was a bit different and with a lot of people coming back from RAF Lyneham and now Brize Norton it was just something I thought would be a good idea. I didn’t think how well it would take off. We sent two boxes last Friday and now have one more to send but it is not guaranteed it will get there for Christmas. We just hope it will bring a bit of cheer to what must be a bleak time out there for them. I had a guy who was in the Rifles who came to see us when he came back, which was nice, and it is nice to know the people on foot patrol are getting the sweets. I don’t expect anything in return, I know how busy it is for them and how long it takes to write a letter, but I do appreciate it when we do get something. We have sent 55 boxes now but we will not stop – we will keep on sending them until they (the troops) come back.”
The couple are always looking for more addresses to send the parcels to and are now looking for a small post box where people can leave addresses if they are not at the store. To donate sweets or give an address of someone serving abroad contact them by emailing [email protected].
Sweets Galore, which has two shops in the Brunel Centre, Swindon, have been sending the boxes of traditional sweets to servicemen and women for a year now after they were visited by RAF corporal Lou Phillips.
She told the store owners, Sue and Dave Bracken, how nervous she was about going on her first tour of duty, so the pair decided to help her feel at home with some familiar sweet treats. The couple then started putting together boxes of the old-fashioned sweets they sell to send to the troops and with help from members of the public donating sweets they have now sent more than 50 boxes.
Sue and Dave have been surprised by how much of a success the campaign has been and hope it will help over the tough Christmas period.
Sue said: “It was literally one of those things off the top of my head. It was an idea that was a bit different and with a lot of people coming back from RAF Lyneham and now Brize Norton it was just something I thought would be a good idea. I didn’t think how well it would take off. We sent two boxes last Friday and now have one more to send but it is not guaranteed it will get there for Christmas. We just hope it will bring a bit of cheer to what must be a bleak time out there for them. I had a guy who was in the Rifles who came to see us when he came back, which was nice, and it is nice to know the people on foot patrol are getting the sweets. I don’t expect anything in return, I know how busy it is for them and how long it takes to write a letter, but I do appreciate it when we do get something. We have sent 55 boxes now but we will not stop – we will keep on sending them until they (the troops) come back.”
The couple are always looking for more addresses to send the parcels to and are now looking for a small post box where people can leave addresses if they are not at the store. To donate sweets or give an address of someone serving abroad contact them by emailing [email protected].