A nursery has responded to an urgent appeal from Renfrewshire Toy Bank. Nursery Times raised £246 for the charity after they appealed to the parents of the children at the nursery.
Renfrewshire Toy Bank confirmed it has received pleas for help from 800 desperate parents this Christmas but has almost no stock left to support them – after already helping over 1000 parents already.
The charity, which has rescued Christmas for thousands of vulnerable families in recent years, says it only expects demand to rise as the festive period nears.
And those at Nursery Times took a trip to B&M with the money they raised and bought a host of toys for the toy bank.
Jennifer Clark, nursery manager, said that they contacted the charity to find out what items would be best to donate, with baby and toddler gifts at the top of the list.
She said: “We saw the urgent toy appeal on Renfrewshire Toy Bank’s Facebook page. As a nursery, we knew we wanted to help, so we also asked our parents to support the appeal by making a small donation, we had raised £246.
“From this, we contacted the toy bank, who told us they were out of all toys but asked us to concentrate on baby and toddler gifts.
“We went with a group of children to B&M and picked as many toys as we could, and we donated them all to the Renfrewshire Toy Bank drop-off point at Morrisons at Anchor Mill.
“We were completely blown away by the generosity of our parents and staff – without them we couldn’t have helped as much as we have. We know these toys will make their way to good homes for Christmas.”
Speaking last week exclusively to the Paisley Daily Express, toy bank volunteer Lauren Roy-Sutherland (pictured right) said donations have dropped by 50 per cent compared to previous years as everyone continues to grapple with the cost-of-living crisis.
“It’s a dire situation,” she said. “We are seeing families from all backgrounds referred to us. At one time, people would normally not be driving to a food or toy bank, but now that is what we are seeing.
“At the moment, we have completed 1,200 referrals with 800 still outstanding.”
Lauren said that the donations from the nursery are already gone after two health-visiting teams collected toys. The volunteer says that items other than Lynx sets are “desperately” needed, with everything scheduled to come in already assigned to families.
Items such as soft toys, selection boxes and sweeties are urgently needed as there is no stock left in those categories.
“Everything that pretty much came in from Nursery Times went to two health-visiting teams,” Lauren said. “They contacted us and asked what stuff they should buy, and we told them about items we really needed. That is now gone.
“I want to thank everyone who has already donated, as we couldn’t have helped the thousands of children we have already without their help. But we are still desperate as the items that have been coming in are all gone.
“We have now received referrals from another social work department, which has another 400 added to the list. Other than Lynx smelly sets, we really need everything else.
“I am not exaggerating when I say that there are some departments who have nothing left.”
An Amazon wishlist featuring gifts curated for children in need is available at www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2OOIL3VKDTSPK…
There is also a Paypal link to make cash donations to the toy bank: www.paypal.com/paypalme/renfrewshirectb
Bank details for the organisation for anyone who would like to donate cash are also available: The Renfrewshire Christmas toy bank. Sort Code: 80-22-60, Bank Account: 19679963
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