ILL children in hospital got an early Easter surprise after more than 200 chocolate eggs and various toys were dropped off by staff at an Oxford company.

The 200 chocolate Easter eggs and 20 toy bunnies and ducks were handed over to the Oxford Children’s Hospital in Headington, by staff at High Street recruitment firm Reed on Tuesday.

Recruitment manager Alice Clarke, 22, from Cumnor, said: “It was really nice to give out an extra present to the children who have to be in hospital over the holidays. I think they were shocked at how much we had for them.”

CHILDREN have been scouring Oxford’s Museum of Natural History for dinosaur eggs as well as Easter eggs over the holidays.

The alternative Easter egg hunt sent youngsters on a trail to find eggs in different parts of the Parks Road museum.

Oxford Mail:

  • Eloise Toomey, eight, and Arthur Reeve, four, with their clues    Picture: OX66510 Lucy Ford

Cousins Arthur Reeve, four, from Northamptonshire, and Eloise Toomey, eight, who lives in Buckinghamshire, were among the explorers last week.

Arthur said: “I liked all of it. I liked running around opening drawers and finding things.”
The Easter egg hunt runs until Monday.

SEVEN-year-old George Bishop was one of several children who designed Easter-themed animations at Didcot’s Cornerstone Arts Centre over the school holidays.

They brainstormed story ideas in groups and art tutor Clinton Osborne helped them illustrate their tales with 2D and 3D images, including Easter chicks and eggs.

Oxford Mail:

  • George Bishop

Centre director Emma Dolman said: “They learned about the techniques of animation and how to make pictures come alive on the page. The children think of story ideas, make a storyboard and then Clint shows them how to animate it.”

SHOPPERS at Sainsbury’s in Wantage donated five trolley loads of Easter eggs to children’s bereavement support charity SeeSaw.

Customers filled nine crates with eggs in a week-and-a-half which were then taken to the charity’s Headington headquarters by Josh King, 15, of Grove.

Josh previously raised money for the charity after it helped his three cousins when their mother, Sam Greenall, died from cancer.

Oxford Mail:

  • Debbie Karisa, of Sainsbury’s, with SeeSaw fundraiser Josh King, 15  Picture: OX66588  Damian Halliwell

Seesaw provides support to children who have lost a parent.

Price controller Debbie Karisa said: “Someone asked me what charity we should give them to and I just straight away said children.”

The Wantage resident added: “They haven’t got their own parents or parent to spoil them.
“If it puts a smile on their face, I am happy.”

THEY joined friends to wave pom poms and dance the afternoon away.

Chloe Smith, eight, from Wantage, and Zoe Dalby, six, from Didcot, had their first taste of cheerleading at a workshop at Didcot’s Cornerstone Arts Centre.

Chloe, a pupil at the Wantage C of E Primary School, said: “It was really good. We did some modern dancing.

Oxford Mail:

  • Chloe Smith, Zoe Dalby, Alexandra Kenney and Nya Cottrill at the cheerleading workshop at Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot

I like cheerleading because I like the routine. I had a lot of fun.”

Joining Chloe and Zoe were Nya Cottrill and Alexandra Kenney.