Lucy Meacock said; “I am delighted to be involved in the toy appeal again this year. Last year saw a tremendous response.  I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the Warrington Guardian readers, especially during the difficult times due to the economic climate.  The children who benefited from the toys donated are some of the most under-privileged and vulnerable children in our community and hopefully Christmas day was full of much more joy and happiness than it would have been.

I am hoping that this year we can help raise as many donations, if not more than we did last year.  I would like to encourage everyone to buy an extra toy to donate to the appeal when out shopping over the next few weeks – It really will make a difference to a child or teenagers Christmas”

On behalf of one of the recipients the NSPCC, Helen Lewandowska, Project Team Manager says:

“Many of the families we work with are unable to afford Christmas presents or Christmas food for their children and their family. The donations of toys that we receive means that we are able to help these families to enjoy a happy and positive Christmas.”

The appeal is looking for donations of new toys suitable for the age range from 0 to 16 years old.  Look for the buy one get one free offers, or 2 for 1’s and the gift doesn’t have to be expensive.  The children the gifts are donated to would not normally receive a present at Christmas if it wasn’t for appeals like this.

The charities which will benefit from the appeal are:

• The NSPCC based in Warrington, help against cruelty to Children and provide a range of helpful services for both parents and children.
• The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust who are based in Cheshire provide holidays and activities for terminally ill, chronically sick, disabled and disadvantaged children.
• Jacobs Unique Memory Pot (J-U-M-P) who provide a personalised professional photography service to capture positive and special images for children who are challenged by life limiting health conditions.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) who are an independent Charity which aims to provide free ‘home away from home’ accommodation at hospitals across the UK, enabling families to stay close to their child and maintain a degree of normal family life.
• St Josephs Family Centre who offer a wide range of services in the Warrington area. These reflect the many relationship difficulties experienced by adults and children in coping with the complex pressures within society.  The contact centre is located in Museum Street.
• Grangeway Court Homeless Lodge in Runcorn who have 32 individual accommodation units for families of all types and sorts, including single Mum's and Dad's, Young parents, and families with health problems.  They work to build residents awareness of what and why things went wrong which resulted in them becoming homeless and help them to address these issues before being put into the Resettlement Programme.
• St Katherines Contact Centre who support families across Warrington.  They also provide a centre where children who are not able to live with their birth families, for a variety of reasons, come to see their families each week and spend time with them. They provide toys and games to allow families to enjoy their time together in a safe place.  Other work is done placing children into foster homes and with the right carer.

Toys can be dropped off at BiG Storage, 73 Manchester Road, Woolston, Warrington, WA1 4AE, 01925 812 700 (on the A57), Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Saturdays 9am to 4pm, and Sundays 10am to 2pm at the BiG Storage reception.  Location maps can also be seen at www.bigstorage.info.

Toys can also be dropped off at:

• Gullivers World, Camp Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 9YZ (For opening times see www.gulliversfun.co.uk.
• Warrington Wolves Foundation, The Halliwell Jones Stadium, Winwick Rd, Warrington, WA2 7NE, Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm.

Thank you on behalf of the children, charities, the Warrington Guardian and BiG Storage.