Roll up to help Telford girl Maggie, 8, this Christmas
Like so many children, eight-year-old Maggie Mullan Whitmore knows exactly what she wants for Christmas.
But far from the latest video games or toys, Maggie has her eyes on something completely different – she’s asking for toilet rolls.
Maggie who has Asperger’s, Sensory Processing Disorder and Hyperactivity Disorder loves to build forts, castles and patterns out of the toilet rolls, and is hoping to add to her collection this December 25.
Her mother, Hannah, is aiming to collect 1,000 so they can build her a giant igloo at their home in Madeley, Telford. They already have around 400.
“As soon as she could get out of bed herself she started playing with toilet rolls,” said Hannah.
“We used to put the toilet rolls on the holder, and she would get up at 3am and take them off to play with them. It’s a constant game in our house.”
Among the donations, some have come from Tesco Madeley, Tesco on the Wrekin Retail Park and Wilkinson’s in Wellington.
Hannah, 31, said: “We’ve still got donations coming in, and at home she has about 40 to build with. We’re not allowed to touch them though – if we run out we have to go to the shop!
“It’s obviously raising awareness of autism, which is what I do anyway. You still get people who pull faces when there’s a meltdown.
"A lot of people see that there’s a nice side of autism. There’s the creative mind, but on top of that you have the hard work.
"It’s nice to celebrate the nicer side and look at the positives rather than the negatives.”
Another company looking to donate is Northwood Hygiene Products, based on Stafford Park 10.
Rosina Dixon, marketing executive for the company, said: “It is not very often you meet someone who loves toilet roll as much as we do, so once hearing Maggie’s story we couldn’t wait to get involved. We wish Maggie and her family a Merry Christmas and hope she has lots of fun.
The toilet roll that Northwood have donated is their “Whisper Gold” brand, which can be found in hotels across the country including The Savoy.
Maggie and her family have also had support from people across the county through her own Facebook page.
For more information or to follow the updates search for Maggie’s Toilet Roll Adventure on Facebook.
