A local charity, Play2Give, is “eggstatic” by the community’s “eggstraordinary” response to its fifth Easter egg appeal, which breaks records by raising an amazing number of eggs.
The generosity helps local children in need, including patients of all ages across the John Radcliffe Hospital, as well as other families and hospitals across Oxfordshire.
Over the past two months, Didcot-born Play2Give egg-reached out to the community of Oxfordshire to join forces in its eggscellent yearly drive to help collect eggs and chocolate treats for its annual Easter crusade, with more donation points and more supporters than ever before.
Donations came in from Oxford, Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Bicester, and even Newbury, and from businesses, cafes, shops, gyms, dance schools, and many more.
Thanks to funds received online, the charity was also able to purchase eggs and Easter fun and activity packs alongside ten boxes of toys for the children in hospital over the coming months, thanks also to its 10th anniversary Sleigh2Give Christmas campaign.
Now, there was no yolking about it as thousands of chocolate treats have been delivered by the Easter bunny on 15 April after the immense or ‘eggmendous’ generosity of the community, even further afield, saw a record number of eggs donated this year, to put a smile on the faces of poorly children, families and those going through hardship and difficult times, as it eggcelled itself after smashing 2024’s 1,200-record.
A record-breaking 1,720 Easter eggs were collected and distributed this year, almost doubling by 500 the dedicated volunteers’ total of 1,238 chocolate delights last year. Over 620 eggs alone were given this year to the Children’s Hospital, including the children’s wards at the Nuffield Orthopaedic and Horton General Hospitals in Banbury.
Play2Give, which raises funds to provide relief to those in need with a focus on children, health and disability causes, asked supporters for donations so that poor children, the less fortunate and those facing hardship would be able to enjoy an Easter treat.
The dedicated group of volunteers spent many hours sorting and counting the goodies and were overwhelmed with the cracking support, making this year’s appeal the best and biggest drive to date.
Young carers in the county also benefited. The donations were so huge that two van journeys with two loading up sprees had to be undertaken on the Oxford-based deliveries day, due to the sheer scale of overwhelming donations.
As well as the children’s hospital, siblings, and families of babies in the neonatal care unit at the JR also received eggs alongside Viking House and Sobell House Hospice.
Due to the staggering number of eggs, box loads of an extra 300 were also provided to older hospital patients across chosen wards with personal meaning, including the heart ward, neuro ward and cancer ward, while Summer Field House in Abingdon, Didcot Foodbank also received bunny-imporrant donations and some struggling families received eggs too.
The two-decade-old organisation was founded by Andrew Baker, from Didcot, in 2007, which continued the fundraising he first began as a schoolboy aged 14, 23 years ago.
Andy was inspired to give back to Oxford Children’s Hospital after having his life saved twice, once at birth after being born with a brain injury and again aged 12 with brain surgery, which catapulted the 36-year-old into a mission to raise funds for the hospital. During his two-decade-long charity work, Sobell House has also benefited alongside 40 other good causes.
Speaking on the charity egg-celling themselves this year, Andy said: “Our bunny, full of beans, was eggscited to bring plenty of cheer, joy and smiles as we worked our way excitedly through the mountain of Easter eggs to deliver in speedy time down and through the bustling hospital corridors and, on the children’s wards, the bunny had a little help from the sprightly and lively carrot too.
“The fantastic kindness of all those who donated brought plenty of smiles to the faces of all those who received the generosity. It was another uplifting, joyful, but emotional experience visiting the hospital and hospices.
“We’re always grateful for the incredible and the heart-warming support our community show Play2Give and we extend our enormous thanks to everyone who took the time to donate to our fifth appeal, and all those who continue supporting all year round to help us do our fantastic work helping so many in our community in changing, transforming, and saving lives.”
Play2Give’s now gearing up for its 14th football tournament, which has limited team spaces remaining, and its 6th Oscars-themed gala ball, among other events, all take place this year.
