An English couple, Colin and Julie Forrester from Manchester, who have been gladly “stuck” in Franschhoek since the start of lockdown decided to bring a little Christmas relief to the 22 families living in the informal settlement next to the Groot Drakenstein Station.
With the help of Eden Cloete and his team at Franschhoek Holiday Rentals it was resolved that every family would receive substantial Christmas provisions and treats for the children.
Donations from Colin and Julie’s close friends and family in the UK enabled them to put together a grocery parcel for each family. As some families were larger than others, efforts were made to reflect this. The parcels consisted of maize meal, rice, a selection of vegetables, soya mince, flour, sugar, salt, tea bags, soup mix, fresh bread, fresh eggs and various other essentials. The children were given a “lucky bag” of sweets, fruit and a Christmas cracker each.
On Wednesday, 23rd December, teams from PicknPay Franschhoek and Franschhoek Holiday Rentals provided their own transport and helped to deliver the parcels.
The following day, Colin and Julie were reflecting on the previous day and realised there wasn’t a main ingredient in the parcels for Christmas dinner. One message to Sandra, the HR Manager at PicknPay ensured that there were 22 fresh, whole chickens ready to purchase from their butchery department. These, too, were delivered in time for Christmas.
