Anyone who would still like to donate to this year’s Stirling Observer Give A Gift Appeal is being asked to drop their donations into our collection points by the start of next week if possible.
Charities and good causes are preparing to come along to choose from the items next week, and the Observer team will be out and about gathering things in over the coming days.
Appeal co-ordinator, Observer reporter Kaiya Marjoribanks, said: “Every year we receive more and more requests and we want to ensure we can make as much available as possible to the charities by next week’s collection day and get the majority of the gifts on their way in time for Christmas.
“There is always the chance we may be faced with the donations being spread more thinly than usual, but we don’t like to turn anyone away and hopefully those who are doing such great work all year round will still be able to help at least most of those they support.
“Any later donations will still be collected and passed on, but it helps the charities and good causes if they get them in good time to ensure they are wrapped well in advance of them being loaded up on Santa’s sleigh.”
Items needed include everything from baby toys right up to gift sets for teenagers. Lego, jigsaws, games, arts and crafts, dolls, cars, footballs, selection boxes, action figures, books – whatever is donated we find a good home for it. Sensory toys are also particularly helpful for children with disabilities.
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; and more.
In recent years several 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.