Kind-hearted residents have dug deep into their pockets to support a group of vulnerable adults, after Kingston and Surbiton’s MP included a charity appeal for Fircroft Trust in his newsletter to voters.
Edward Davey slipped a copy of the Building Potential Appeal, which is being backed by the Kingston Guardian, into his latest mail out.
So far the charity, which looks after adults with learning difficulties in four residential homes but wants to build a single state-of-the-art home on the site of the old White Hart Pub in Hook, has raised £3,000 as a result of the mail-out.
Two people who received the newsletter gave £500 each.
Fundraiser Susannah Horwood said: “It is the best response we have had so far. The appeal went out to 36,000 households which was fantastic.
“For somebody to go and donate £500 is amazing really. We are thrilled with that and they are still coming in.”
Mr Davey said he was able to put the publicity out with his newsletter because of his new envelope stuffing machine.
Mr Davey was criticised earlier this year when he revealed he had claimed £7,343 from expenses towards the cost of a hi-tech Maximailer machine he shares with the local Liberal Democrat party.
He said: “Because we are now able to put a number of pieces of paper in an envelope because of the envelope stuffing machine it is no problem putting another piece of paper in.
“While we have got a lot of things we need to put in, I thought we should put the fourth or fifth piece of paper in for a deserving local cause.
“Fircroft Trust has these fantastic proposals and I thought it seemed a fantastic local charity to try to support.
“It’s only a small thing but I am delighted if it has helped.”
Mr Davey donned a cape and moustache in December to play a barman in a pantomime performance of Pinocchio by St Paul’s Players raising money for Fircroft Trust’s appeal.
To start donating or for more information about the project visit thefircrofttrust.org/buildingpotential or call Fircroft on 020 8399 1772.
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