How & Where To Donate Toys & Games This Christmas
THE MAIN NEED-TO-KNOWS
- All soft toys must have a CE label.
- Puzzles and games should be complete and in good condition. Tape the box shut, putting a note on the box to indicate it is complete. If it is a wooden puzzle, tape all pieces to the base board.
- Toys should be in good working order with no missing pieces. For sets that have loose pieces, keep them together in a bag.
- Group craft items together into a bag – for example, colouring pencils and books, paints, paper and a note of the suggested age.
- Books should have no rips, stains or torn pages.
WHERE TO DONATE
Toy Libraries:
Across the country, toy libraries and organisations such as The Toy Project distribute used and new toys to families in need. During Covid, they delivered toy houses, animals and cars to children of NHS workers, toys and games to children living in hostels, and gave the children’s ward at hospitals games, craft kits and Lego sets. A toy library works exactly the same as a book library. All items are labelled and children and parents can sign the toys out to borrow them for a week at a time. Here are a few examples of schemes across the UK:
- The Springfield Project, Birmingham
- The Toy House, Manchester
- Abbey Sure Start Toy Library, Belfast
- The Toy Project, London
Charities:
There are nationwide organisations that support families living in poverty around the UK. In London, Little Village helps families with babies and children under five living in poverty across the capital with hubs in Camden, Wandsworth, Brent, Hackney and Hounslow by running a baby bank network that collects, sorts and passes on pre-loved clothes and equipment, including toys. Just bear in mind that these items are intended to be gifts, so only donate items you would be happy to pass on to a family member or friend – no stained, worn out or broken items. Here are some of the charities close to our heart in need of your support.
Toy Recycling Service:
Toys 4 Life was set up to tackle the lack of dedicated local authority facilities for toy reuse and recycling in the UK. With plastic waste polluting oceans globally, some of it from unwanted toys, while disadvantaged children around the world miss out on having toys entirely, Toys 4 Life was set up to provide an effective solution. They collect reusable plastic toys and export them to third world countries where people are unable to afford new toys. They are also working with plastic recycling companies in the UK to make the recycling of any damaged toys easier. Donating is simple - you can either drop off a box of toys at a Collect Plus point or via your local Air Ambulance.
Women’s Refuges:
Many of the women and children arriving at a refuge will have left home with only a few basic items, and others will arrive with nothing at all. To help children settle in, women’s refuges like to give them an essentials welcome pack, with a small gift for the children. While second hand soft toys aren’t accepted, new soft toys for children up to five, and new books and games for children up 12, are always needed. Just look up your local refuge via organisations like Refuge and find out what they need and how to get it to them. Here are some suggestions:
Aid Organisations:
Many high street charity shops are happy to take preloved toys and books, and money raised makes a tangible difference. At nationwide Red Cross charity shops, 50p could buy a foil blanket for someone evacuated from their home due to a fire or flooding; £6 could help an asylum seeker buy a pack of nappies for their baby or other basics; £20 could provide five blankets to families taking shelter during a crisis overseas; £33 could provide 40 chlorine tablets to ensure that families have access to clean, safe water after fleeing their homes. Other organisations in need of support always include Oxfam and the Salvation Army, too.
Refugees:
Every year, thousands of refugees arrive in this country with little or nothing. Get Rid Of And Donate aims to redistribute unwanted items – including pre-loved toys, tech, books and more – to those in need in and around the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, including to refugees and asylum seekers, pregnant women and the homeless. The organisation will also arrange a free collection to get items to those who really need it. Equally, other refugee supporting groups to know about include:
Hospitals:
Donating toys to hospitals is trickier due to strict infection control measures; for example, Great Ormond Street Hospital cannot accept any gifts in person and are only able to accept items that are brand new and in the original packaging. They can’t take any used or second-hand items, including toys, games, books, soft toys or knitted items or anything that has been made at home. So it’s worth contacting your local hospital’s donation arm to find out if and when they might be able to take items you’re interested in donating.
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