With child poverty continuing to rise, many London families are facing a Christmas where even the basics feel out of reach.
According to the Child Poverty Action Group, 31% of children in the UK now live in poverty, a statistic charities say is increasingly reflected in London communities.
In response, The Toy Appeal – a charity that will be providing Christmas toy sacks for children living in poverty across the UK this year – is encouraging Londoners to donate any toys their children no longer use to local charity shops or community drop-off points.
The Toy Appeal volunteers packing and loading toy sacks, ready for delivery.
Every toy donated to a London charity shop or community drop-off point this season will trigger a £5 donation to The Toy Appeal from partnering business AttractionTickets.com, helping to ensure as many children have something to open on Christmas morning as possible.
Each Toy Appeal sack gifted to children in poverty costs £25 to put together and contains an average of 7 – 8 thoughtfully selected new gifts, typically including a main present, a stocking filler, a board game or puzzle, an arts and crafts item, a teddy, a ball or sports toy, and a book.
Example toy sacks The Toy Appeal puts together for disadvantaged children.
How to Get Involved
Find a toy your child no longer plays with, ensuring it’s clean, in good condition, and has the CE mark to ensure that they are safe to give to children.
Donate it locally to a charity shop, Salvation Army, food bank, or community centre that accepts toy donations.
Take a photo of your donation being handed over (no children’s faces are required) and email it to spreadthejoy@attractiontickets.com
AttractionTickets.com will donate £5 to The Toy Appeal for each entry.*
Oliver Brendon, CEO of AttractionTickets.com, said of the campaign, “Through this initiative, we hope to encourage families across the UK to unite in giving every child the chance to experience the magic of Christmas morning. By donating toys to local charity shops and community centres – ensuring high-quality gifts are accessible to all – and financially supporting brilliant charities like The Toy Appeal, we can all make a real difference to the lives of children close to home and throughout the country who might otherwise go without a gift this year.”
Speaking about the charity’s mission and growth over the years, Dee Drake, founder of The Toy Appeal, said: “This year marks our 13th Christmas running The Toy Appeal, something my husband and I started back in 2013 after learning we couldn’t have children of our own. That first year we supported 500 children and by this Christmas we’ll have provided festive sacks to 75,000 children across the UK.
Each red sack contains 7 – 8 carefully chosen gifts, so every child wakes up to the magic and excitement of Christmas morning. None of it would be possible without our incredible team of volunteers, who work tirelessly all year, from sorting pallets of toys in January to delivering sacks in December to schools, social workers, food banks, and women’s refuges across the country. Seeing the impact these gifts have on families reminds us why we started this, to make sure every child feels the joy they deserve at Christmas.”
Please note that The Toy Appeal does not accept physical toy donations. All toys should be donated locally, and AttractionTickets.com will make the financial donation to The Toy Appeal on behalf of participants.
