There are just 20 days left to hand in gifts to the Standard’s Christmas Toy Appeal.
The region’s longest running toy appeal aims to give hundreds of underprivileged children – living right here in our communities – a present to unwrap on the morning of December 25.
If you want to make a difference this festive season, please give the appeal a random gift of Christmas by buying a new toy or chocolate treat and putting it into the boxes at one of the six collection points in town which have our appeal poster.
One of these is at the Tesco supermarket at the Peel Centre where community champion Jade McKerlie and her big-hearted colleagues have put on a fabulous display for their collection point in store.
We are so grateful for all the hard work and thank their customers and all those who have donated to the appeal so far.
We have until Wednesday, December 14, to receive donations for children aged from babies to teenagers who are on the lists given to us by local agencies working with them.
Without your support they wouldn’t receive anything and we feel that every child, no matter what their financial circumstances, deserves to know the magic of a Christmas present.
We are looking for any suitable toys for boys and girls; baby gifts; reading and colouring books; crayons/pencils/felt tips; board games, and sensory toys.
And we need donations of chocolate and sweets, from selection boxes to tubes and packets.
We are particularly short of toys for boys and girls aged one, three, six, and 10.
In keeping with health and safety measures, it is essential this year to make sure:
●No second-hand toys
●Toys must be new, unused and sealed, boxed or tagged
●Please do not wrap toys in Christmas paper.
Helping couldn’t be easier. Please leave your donated toys and chocolate in the collection boxes marked for the Dumfries and Galloway Standard’s Toy Appeal at Morrisons, Dumfries; Tesco, Cuckoo Bridge; Tesco, Peel Centre; and the Nationwide Building Society, Church Crescent.
Marks & Spencer in Dumfries and The Crichton Trust at the Easterbrook Bistro Bar and Spar, as well as in Crichton Central, have Christmas trees with our distinctive red tags bearing the names and ages of kids who need a gift.
All you have to do is take off a tag and add it to an appropriate gift you’ve bought for the age and sex of the children – then leave it at the tree and we’ll do the rest.
Our own offices in Park Lane are closed, so please do not send cash or donations there.
Supporters may want to make a cash donation this year, rather than have to shop for a toy, and you can do this directly into our bank account at the Bank of Scotland in Dumfries either in branch or online using BACS.
You just need to know that the Standard Toy Appeal account number is 10856666 and the sort code is 80-22-60.
Cash or cheque donations can also be handed in at: Tesco, Cuckoo Bridge, marked “Dumfries and Galloway Standard Toy Appeal FAO Anne Croucher”, or Morrisons, Dumfries, marked “Dumfries and Galloway Standard Toy Appeal FAO Myra Smith”.
If you can help please email: sharon.liptrott@reachplc.com or call 07917516142 to arrange collection and for us to organise a photograph.
