Meet the tireless volunteers making sure children in poverty have a Christmas to remember
Thousands of children in poverty in will wake up to sacks of toys on Christmas morning thanks to the kindness of armies of volunteers across the country
Thousands of children in poverty in North West England will wake up to sacks of toys on Christmas morning, as if by magic, thanks to hundreds of volunteers who have worked tirelessly through the year. They buy, wrap and deliver the presents to food banks, schools, women’s refuges and social services to reach families in need.
“Every child should enjoy the magic of Christmas,” says Dee Drake, the founder of The Toy Appeal. “No child should have to worry about poverty or neglect. They should be enjoying their childhood. But life isn’t like that. We give a little joy on Christmas Day.”
Dee and her husband Chris launched The Toy Appeal 12 years ago, wanting to find a new purpose after discovering they could not have children. In its first year, they helped 500 children, and by this Christmas, they will have reached more than 65,000. This year alone, 10,700 kids will get a toy sack.
“Since lockdown and the cost of living crisis, the demand is crazy,” Dee says. “It has grown year-on-year because of what’s going on in the world. It’s not just hitting the poorest people. It’s all of us.”
Dee’s Toy Appeal is donating as many toys as these large brands, with each child receiving around seven or eight in their sack, putting the total at around 80,000. But with more than four million children facing poverty in the UK, it is a challenge to reach every family. Toys are usually given out by food banks, baby banks and other community services and it is rare for families to be able to self-refer. There are a few families The Toy Appeal has worked with for years, and they provide birthday gifts for them too. One family has five children and the dad has early-onset dementia, while the mum is his full-time carer. The Toy Appeal provides presents through their social worker.
Lidl has launched its Christmas toy appeal. Image: Lidl
Other services work more closely with families. Baby banks, for example, provide essentials all year round. Sophie Livingstone, chief executive for London-based baby bank network Little Village, says: “We hear from parents every day who are struggling to provide even the basics for their children, let alone gifts or festive treats.”
That includes Natalia, a mum who fled Ukraine with her 10-year-old son when war broke out and recently had another baby. Christmas is just a few days before her son’s birthday. Last year, all he wanted was a cat – their emergency accommodation does not allow pets – and for his father to be with him.
Natalia with her baby
“That was a big dream,” Natalia says. And it happened. Just before Christmas last year, her husband came to live with them in London, seeking safety after experiencing horrors as a soldier.
This winter comes with different worries. It’s cold, they need to pay their bills and buy new clothes for their children with Natalia’s small salary she gets as a teaching assistant. She was referred to Little Village by her midwife to get essentials for her baby and received a package of clothes, toys and books. “I was very happy,” she says. “It was a big gift for us. It was a big kindness.”
Natalia hopes to be able to buy a Christmas tree this year, to relive happy memories of hiding gifts under the tree in Ukraine. But it is only with the support of the public that baby banks like those run by Little Village can help families like Natalia’s, and it is set to launch a Christmas appeal so it can “reach more families with essential things they need – as well as a little festive cheer”.
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The Toy Appeal also relies on public support to survive. They buy toys wholesale in bulk, and every child of the same age and gender gets the same set of presents. It costs around £25 per child, which means raising a £250,000 every year.
“It isn’t easy, but we always do it. I don’t know how. I’ve got great faith. I try not to worry. I just think it will happen,” Dee says. “We always try and have the money well in advance so I can start buying for next year, because you can’t wait till November to buy toys for 10,000 kids. There are times when the money isn’t coming in. We have to hold fire and not buy toys for a little bit, and then ramp up when the money does come in. We just have to hope.”
Once bought, the presents go into storage until December, when they take over a big sports hall to sort them. A fleet of around 100 people deliver the presents early in December, so families don’t have to face the anxiety of not knowing when they will arrive. Dee says it runs like “clockwork”.
“I absolutely love it. It’s my baby. It’s my passion,” Dee says. “I’ve been really ill this year, in and out of hospital, and I didn’t know if I was going to make it in the summer.
“My main reason to get better was to get these toys sent out. A lot of it is in my head, and it would be very hard to hand over to someone else. I’ve got to get it written down next year, just in case.
Dee couldn’t wait to get started on the Toy Appeal after a two-week stint in hospital last month. “My brain’s still working. It’s just suddenly my body is a mess,” she says.
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“It’s invigorated me. I know I’ve got to pace myself. I do a little bit, then I go and lie down. But we’ve got a deadline. I can’t let it fail. I can’t let those kids down.”
Here’s how to donate
This is just a small selection of toy appeals running across the country, and there will be many more as we approach Christmas. Keep an eye out on how you can support organisations near you, or you could even set up your own toy appeal.
Little Village runs a network of baby banks in London, providing essential items including toys to families all year round – including a little extra festive cheer at Christmas. Donations will be doubled in their Big Give week in the first week of December.
The Entertainer and Salvation Army’s Big Toy Appeal
You can buy a toy to donate to a child in need through The Entertainer toy shop, or add a £5 donation to your basket online, and they will pass it on to the Salvation Army to be given to kids in need this Christmas. For every toy donated, the retailer will match it to provide an extra toy for a disadvantaged family at Christmas. It runs until 30 November.
Lidl’s Christmas Toy Banks
Shoppers can donate unopened toys and gifts in the ‘toy bank’ located at the exit of Lidl stores. Donations must be unwrapped and new, in original packaging or unopened. Anything from a small stocking filler or something bigger is welcome. It doesn’t have to be a toy from Lidl.
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Circle of Toys
You can donate a toy to families in conflict zones like Ukraine through Circle of Toys. Visit their website, register and select a request that aligns with the age and theme of the toy. Once approved, participants will receive the family’s mailing address to send their toy.
Action for Children secret santa
Through Action for Children, you can select a gift for a child in need to brighten their festive season. A one-off donation of £25 will pay for a Christmas present for a young person.
Family Action
Donate to Family Action’s Toy Appeal to support children to have a special Christmas. A donation of £7.50 could buy a baby book or teddy and £25 could buy a young carer a craft kit.
Cash for kids
The Cash For Kids Mission Christmas campaign is back on, and accepts gift applications from organisations supporting children. You can donate cash or gifts.
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. This Christmas, you can make a lasting change on a vendor’s life. Buy a magazine from your local vendor in the street every week. If you can’t reach them, buy a Vendor Support Kit.
This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.
