Logwood Village gets Christmas party

One of South Africa’s motor sport’s most endearing charity events celebrated its 25th birthday at Tarlton International Raceway on 8 December.

The Donaldson Cross Country Championship community is this year hoping to raise more than R50 000 for the Logwood Village in Nooitgedacht who caters for people suffering from Down’s Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. The money will be used for major renovations and additions for the comfort of the residents.

The sprawling Tarlton complex on the outskirts of Krugersdorp has been the home of the event for many years.

This year’s party was organised in conjunction with the Rotary Merlins Club in Roodepoort and the Harley Davidson Club.

“The annual Christmas party is the biggest day of the year for the kids at Logwood Village, and the 25th birthday of the event is a proud milestone for the cross country community,” says South African National Off Road Association (SANORA) chief executive Richard Schilling.

“Over the years we have also had incredible support from cross country competitors, Merlins Rotary, Mick van Rensburg at Tarlton and more recently, the Harley Davidson Club.

“The initial support this year has been encouraging and they hopefully raised a sizeable sum for less privileged people.”

The organisers catered for 200 children with morning rides for the kids in cross country racing vehicles on a specially prepared circuit on the fringes of the Tarlton complex. There were also rides on the Harley Davids.

The morning rides was followed by lunch and a puppet show. The highlight of the day was the arrival of Father Christmas and the distribution of gifts.

“We are living in economically challenging times, but we are confident everyone connected with the Donaldson Cross Country Championship will once again embrace the opportunity to help people who are less fortunate than themselves,” says Schilling.

“Over the years the charity day has brought a little joy into the lives of hundreds of children.”