NOT NECESSARILY SPORT by MARC POZZO
I have had this thought for some time.
How one can give back to the community through a concept taken from a South African radio called the “Christmas Wish”.
I ran the concept and planned it through the station and then approached the Managing Director of TM Pick n Pay, Malcolm Mycroft, to come on board and take it on.
He jumped at the opportunity.
And so it was that the 2018 TM Pick N Pay Christmas Wish 2018 was born and I believe here to stay!
As I write, after four weeks of an advertising campaign for the Christmas Wish, we are into our second week of wishes.
The campaign or activation for 2018 grants ten wishes for ten days on ZIFM Stereo. Every morning at 6.45pm we do the wish and our first wish was to a guy who is a single parent having lost his wife in 2014 and suffers from a compressed spine, which has paralysed his lower body, taking away his ability to work and fend for his family. A really touching story. The Christmas Wish came to the party with a new wheelchair, shopping voucher groceries and support for his kids’ education.
As a presenter this brought tears to my eyes as his response was: “I have never been given anything.”
We then went on the next day to answer an appeal from Tanyaradzwa Children’s Home in Murehwa. There is a couple with limited resources looking after 100 children most of them orphans. TM Pick n Pay once again have given them a wonderful early Christmas Wish with lots of goodies and assistance to the home for 12 months.
The weeks’ other wishes have seen school fees, groceries, Christmas parties for a number of old age homes and helping a family with triplets with income.
It’s certainly been one of the most moving weeks, for me as radio presenter. To hear and read these letters and requests makes you actually think; how lucky am I or that there is a God out there.
My weekend of sport was spoilt by a draw in the heavyweight battle between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. My weekend bet went as follows; Tyson Fury to win, Arsenal to beat Spurs in the north London derby and Liverpool to win the Merseyside Derby against Everton with odds of 7/1. The latter came home and did the business for me, even if a 96th minute winner got Liverpool three points, I was happy regardless. But as the bet was a treble, the boxing result left me seething as Fury to me was the clear winner in 12 rounds without any doubt. Anyway I guess that’s sports betting. You win others and lose some. Maybe my 2019 new year’s resolution should be to give up gambling. I will give it some serious thought.
