COMMUNITY spirited Teessiders are rushing to help their favourite causes to claim part of the Evening Gazette's £30,000 Wish cash pot.
In the first count-up of tokens the charity Abbie's Love - set up in memory of Coulby Newham schoolgirl Abbie Clarke who died in December 2006 from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy - leads the way after amassing a staggering 8,000 tokens.
Abbie's parents Tracy and Richard have been fundraising ever since their daughter's tragic death to fund research and help other youngsters on with epilepsy, Abbie pictured.
Just two weeks ago the couple presented James Cook University Hospital with £30,000 for the Abbie Clarke Epilepsy Trust Fund.
They are now hoping to be able to raise more money through the Wish campaign with family, friends and colleagues all furiously collecting tokens from the Gazette.
"Everyone has been given them to us," said Tracy. "Lots of family and friends and at Tetley's where I work, at the PCT where my sister works and everyone at Corus where my husband works.
"Hospitals don't get enough funding for this kind of thing so we want to give them that extra support. We will never get the answer we want but if we can help other children and research then that's great."
Other groups who have already smashed through the 1,000 token barrier include the 53rd Middlesbrough Scout Group, Belle Vue Care Home Residents Garden Club, and Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary, pictured Abbie's parents Richard and Tracy.
Among the few who have broken through the 2,000 token mark include Nightstop Teesside which provides safe, emergency lodgings for 16 to 25-year-olds in the homes of trained volunteers. Their fundraising is ongoing to allow them to continue to do their good work.
Jane Bottrill, finance and administration officer for the charity, said the group were delighted with their current total of 2,060 tokens. She said: "We have seen a marked increase in the need for our longer term accommodation. We get grant funding but that is becoming harder and harder to obtain for all charitable organisations."
You can now post local community news directly to this website! Find out more 
Keep up to date with TS10 Redcar subscribe to our RSS feed
easyAds123 - buying or selling? Search through 100s of ads for the best deals on Teesside
Leave a comment