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Boxing clever for our boys
A CARING customer service advisor has banked a big idea to help serving soldiers across the globe.
Leeds Building Society in Fowler Street, South Shields, is collecting shoeboxes for the Support Our Soldiers (SOS) charity.
The idea to collect the boxes at the building society was the brainchild of branch advisor Joanne Butler.
And Miss Butler's head office were so impressed with her vision, it's been rolled out across all branches.
"I'm really pleased with the way things have gone and delighted that all 11 north-east branches will be collecting the boxes."
"After meeting representatives from the charity my mum came home with a pin badge. I asked about it and thought I'd like to help the charity.
"I wrote off to head office to see if we could get involved and they came back to me to say 'yes'."
The shoeboxes are sent to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan by SOS.
The South Shields branch has already filled 30 boxes with toiletries, magazines, sweets and messages for the soldiers.
Nearby shoe shop Riddicks is supplying boxes for the building society for those who haven't got a shoe box.
The branch is also taking in individual donations for customers who cannot fill a box.
Last year, the Leeds Building Society asked customers to write a message for a loved one fighting or lost to cancer to be placed on their Christmas tree. The cash raised went to Cancer Connections.
Miss Butler added: "Next year we will have two trees, one for Cancer Connections and one for Support Our Soldiers, where people with loved ones away from home can leave their Christmas messages."
The branch also sells badges for the SOS charity.
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Weather for South Shields
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
