THIS cheerful group of walkers planned to put a smile on the faces of children who would spend Christmas in hospital.

They were supporters of the “Aunts and Uncles”, volunteers who supported youngsters at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre at Headington, Oxford.

The walkers, who all worked at Nuffield Press, set off from the firm’s headquarters in Hollow Way, Cowley, in 1985, then followed a 15-mile route to Abingdon Road, Woodstock Road, Banbury Road, Cowley Road and back to where they started.

They took with them collecting tins and brightly coloured banners telling everyone they were raising money for a Christmas party and presents for children in hospital and the disabled.

Memory Lane this week

The Aunts and Uncles developed from a secretive group called the Mysterious Uncles, who started giving gifts to young patients at the Nuffield in the 1960s.

It was one of the young patients in the Robert Jones ward who gave the group its name.

“Pauline,” she told the little girl in the bed next to her, who was baffled by all the anonymous gifts that kept arriving for her, “you must have a mysterious uncle.”

So, out of a child’s fantasy, a name was born.

Five men working at Nuffield Press, which printed brochures and other publicity material for Cowley-built cars, had clubbed together to buy a workmate’s daughter baskets of fruit and other comforts while she was in the hospital.

While delivering the gifts, they decided they couldn’t deprive other children in the ward of the excitement and pleasure their gifts had given after Pauline went home.

So they adopted Robert Jones ward, became officially the Mysterious Uncles and contributed five shillings (25p) a month so that fruit and other gifts could continue to be given to the ward.

It wasn’t long before women employees at Nuffield Press volunteered to help and became the “Aunts”. By the 1980s, the word “mysterious” had been dropped, no doubt because the identities of the volunteers had become known and they no longer were mysterious.

The 15-mile walk, which raised £300, was one of a number of activities organised to raise money for the 1985 Christmas party in the ward.

“Aunt” Tracy Bayliss said: “At Christmas, we always hold a party for children in the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, for those in nearby homes for the handicapped, and for anyone else who is deprived at Christmas.”


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