Big-hearted small business owner spreads Christmas cheer with charity toy appeal

A passionate supporter of YWCA Yorkshire Green Gables, Paula has converted the upstairs room of her Mexborough salon into a toy donation centre.

Collections for the Christmas Toy Appeal started in October, and the gifts will be delivered to families across Doncaster before Christmas Day.

Not content with the toy appeal alone, on November 28, Paula hosted a coffee morning to raise much-needed funds for the women, children and families supported by Green Gables in Doncaster.

Heavenly Hairspray opened its doors on Main Street in Mexborough in 2020. Born and raised locally, and returning to the area seven years ago after living abroad, Paula was determined to build a business that would benefit her neighbours.

The salon has become a community hub for local groups to meet, craft, support each other and charitable causes. One such group, the ‘Knit & Natter’, gather regularly to knit toys which they donate to the Christmas Toy Appeal.

Heavenly Hairspray business owner and community champion, Paula Ashkenazi, said: “As someone who grew up here and someone who cares about our community, I wanted the salon to be more than a place people come to get their hair done.

"I wanted it to be a place where people who live and work here can connect and support each other. Some wonderful friendships have sparked from the groups that meet here. By working together, we’ve been able to help vital local services, like Green Gables, who support young women, children and families who might not have others to fall back on in hard times.

“In my mind, Green Gables sits at the heart of the Mexborough community. They are genuinely making a difference to the lives of young people who grew up around here. I can’t think of a better charity to support at Christmas.”

The recent coffee morning and fundraising activity raised more than £750 for Green Gables. An additional cheque for £500 was generously donated by David Clarke on behalf of Autosupplies (Chesterfield) Ltd in support of the Green Gables Minibus appeal.

Anyone wishing to donate new, nearly new, and homemade toys to the Green Gables Christmas Toy Appeal, can contact Green Gables in Mexborough.

People wishing to ‘give’ directly to women, children and families supported by YWCA Yorkshire this Christmas can donate to the charity’s Christmas Appeal.

Janine Egan, Project Manager at YWCA Yorkshire Green Gables, said: “People like Paula make a huge difference to charities like ours. We provide vital services to local people who always have family and friends to fall back on in hard times.

"This can make times of year like Christmas particularly hard. We feel so lucky to have Paula and the wider Mexborough community in our corner, making sure that every child we support wakes up to a present on Christmas Day, and that every mum and dad."