Couple’s Golden Wedding celebrations raise £20,000 for NSPCC’s child protection work

A Cardiff couple, celebrating 50 years of marriage, has raised more than £20,000 for the children’s charity NSPCC Cymru/Wales.

In celebration of their Golden Wedding, Alan and Maggie Peterson decided to ask well-wishers to donate to their charity fundraising page, instead of sending gifts, and they’ve been astounded at the amount friends and family have been able to raise for the NSPCC.

Maggie says: “Alan and I know how incredibly important the NSPCC and Childline are to children and young people and we have supported these fantastic causes for a long time. We wanted to further our support and ask for donations instead of gifts to mark our anniversary, so we can help the NSPCC be there for even more children.

“After the most amazing response from guests at our anniversary celebrations we held this year, we will be supporting Childline once again in 2022 for our 51st Wedding Anniversary with another One Unforgettable Day and we want to thank everyone that’s donated and supported the NSPCC and Childline with us!”

The couple has long-supported the child protection charity, with Maggie sitting on the charity’s fundraising appeal board in Wales during its Full Stop Campaign that started in 1999, whilst Alan became the chair of the board in April 2016 – raising £3.7m for the charity over a three-year period.

As well as raising thousands of pounds for the charity in lieu of Golden Wedding gifts, Alan and Maggie personally donated £30,000 to the charity’s Childline service earlier this year to mark their June anniversary date. The donation was enough to fund the entire Childline service for a whole day as part of the charity’s One Unforgettable Day initiative, which they’d supported the previous year too.

In October 2019, the Petersons became voluntary Vice Presidents of the NSPCC at its annual council meeting, and in the same year Alan was also recognised by the Queen for his services to charitable fundraising, receiving an OBE in the New Year’s honours list.

Supporter Fundraising Manager for NSPCC Cymru/Wales, Emma Brennan says: “Alan and Maggie have been incredibly generous in marking their 50 years of marriage by raising funds for the NSPCC and making such a remarkable personal donation.

“Their ongoing support sums up their selflessness and passion for helping to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people. Support like theirs is crucial because right now many children are dealing with pressures and worries no child should have to face.

“It’s fundraisers, supporters and volunteers like Alan and Maggie that mean we can run our Childline service around the clock. Our counsellors listen to and support children, providing a safe space for them to turn to, whatever difficulties they face. Whatever life throws at them, we’re here to show children that they matter, that we understand, and they’re not alone.”

Childline volunteers counsel children and young people from across the UK from 12 bases, including two in Wales. To find out more about volunteering at Childline in Cardiff or Prestatyn, and the comprehensive training package it includes, contact Sally.King-Sheard@nspcc.org.uk or 01745 772 101 for the Prestatyn base, or volunteerrecruitment@nspcc.org.uk for the Cardiff base.

Childline is available for children and young people 24/7 on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk. Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000. Adult victims of non-recent sexual abuse can also get in touch for support.