Back in 1990, Dave Cooke was moved by the needs of the Romanian children he saw on the TV screen so he put teams together under ‘Operation Christmas Child’ in Wrexham and took aid to Romanian orphanages.
Then, in 2006, Dave founded the Teams4U charity to enable many others to be able to have the opportunity and experience of working with and supporting vulnerable children and their families.
Down the years, it has helped people in Uganda, Cambodia, Sierra Leone and more with this year’s appeal set up to help children in Bosnia.
Now based out of Llay Industrial Estate in Wrexham, the team has been busy gathering donations from north Wales and beyond over recent weeks.
Project manager Simon Cooke, Dave’s son, said that over 60,000 shoeboxes – which include everything from toys to toothbrushes – have been donated this time around to families in Bosnia.
He said: “So it’s been another amazing year and we have collected just over 60,000 shoebox gifts. Our warehouse in Llay has been inundated with calls and messages from people wanting to get involved.
“Many of whom are now second generation shoebox donators, it was 35 years ago that the first trucks left the Guildhall bound for Romania with shoeboxes on. A few years later, they were in war torn Yugoslavia.
It’s been another busy festive period for Teams4U. (Image: Simon Cooke)
“Last week. I took a team of volunteers to Bosnia to give out shoeboxes with the Red Cross in areas surrounding Sarajevo. I was told by teachers that they had received shoeboxes during the war.”
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Simon added: “One told me that she still had the colouring pencils that she received 28 years earlier. She has now given them to her daughter.
“The team I took included 18-year old-Lottie Conway, who is from Wrexham. None of it would have been possible without all of the local businesses that have been in helping to sort and pack all of the shoeboxes and volunteers who have loaded boxes onto trucks, but especially everyone who has donated either financially or with a physical shoebox itself.
“Many coming from local schools, churches and community groups.”