Drop-off points across the area are starting to gather in toys for the annual Stirling Observer Give A Gift Appeal.
With businesses happy to take donations in right across our circulation area, we hope readers and supporters take the chance to drop their own gift in if they can.
Stirling Observer reporter Kaiya Marjoribanks said: “The businesses who help us gather the toys and gifts in are absolutely vital. We can’t thank them enough.
“Every year many of them get in touch to offer their services yet again, and new businesses and venues also offer to come on board.
“Having such a great network has helped to build and maintain the support for the appeal.
“This appeal has always been a huge effort for the community and by the community and these businesses are very much at the heart of that.
“The last few years have been particularly difficult for everyone,” added Kaiya. “There are more people in need but fewer people in a position to help.
“As we have seen in the past, however, whenever the need is greater or the circumstances at their most difficult, the people of Stirling do their best to help if they can and that doesn’t go unnoticed by us or by the charities and organisations who ensure the gifts are distributed to children and young people who might otherwise go without or who are going through a difficult time.”
Running since 2008, the appeal receives and distributes donations of new toys and gifts for sick, disabled, needy and disadvantaged children and young people aged from newborn babies right up to teenagers.
Collected with the kind support of a host of drop-off points across the area, the gifts are distributed via a wide range of charities, large and small.
Among the many charities and good causes which help to distribute the gifts every year are: Stirling Young Carers; Home-Start Stirling which supports families with young children going through difficult times; Stirling Women’s Aid; Stirling Council social services; PLUS, which provides social opportunities for children and young people with disabilities; Stirling HMP and Glenochil Family Support Hubs; FVRH children’s ward; Support4Families, which helps families affected by a loved one’s drug or alcohol misuse; CHAS; and more.
In recent years groups and foodbanks set up by local volunteers in the Observer circulation area including CRAG (Cowie), Polmaise Community Council, and Love in a Box, have also been able to receive toys from the appeal for children and families they support, and other one off requests have been fulfilled.
If you would like to organise a collection of gifts at your workplace, school or group, would like to be one of our official drop-off points, or would simply like more information, email: [email protected] or [email protected] or call any of the editorial contact numbers on page 2 of today’s edition.
We will aim to photograph and feature as many collections as possible in the Observer in the run-up to Christmas.
•Toys and gifts – Gifts should be new and unused and left unwrapped to allow charities to choose for individual children. Cuddly toys should be kept to a minimum if possible as some charities have difficulty placing these for health and hygiene reasons.
•Vouchers – Since the Covid pandemic, we have also given the option of donating gift cards and vouchers to offer some flexibility to both those donating and to the charities. These can be sent to Stirling Observer Give A Gift Appeal, c/o Stirling Observer, Give A Gift Appeal, Reach plc, 55 Douglas Street, Glasgow G2 7NP. Please include details of the value of the gift card or voucher. If you would like a confirmation of receipt, please provide your name and postal address or email address.
•Drop-off points include: STIRLING – Morrisons supermarket, Springkerse Retail Park; Nationwide Building Society, Port Street; Waitrose, Burghmuir Retail Park FK7 7NZ; ABERFOYLE Breagha By Nic craft shop, 1-4 Main Street; BALFRON Andrew Anderson & Sons, 64B Buchanan Street G63 0TW; BANNOCKBURN – Jintz Express/Post Office, 17 Quakerfield; BRIDGE OF ALLAN – Andrew Anderson & Sons, 71 Henderson Street FK9 4HG; CALLANDER – Tesco Express, Main Street; DUNBLANE – Beech Tree Cafe, 2 Beech Road; FALLIN – Tesco Express, Stirling Rd FK7 7JW; RAPLOCH – Andrew Anderson & Sons, 90 Drip Road FK8 1RN; Stirling Community Enterprise, 146 Drip Road FK8 1RW.