Drop-off points across the area are starting to gather in toys for the 15th annual Stirling Observer Give A Gift Appeal after its launch last week.
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 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 cost-of-living crisis has made this year’s appeal possibly the most vital yet - but also the most uncertain,” 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.”
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The drop-off points include: STIRLING – Morrisons supermarket, Springkerse Retail Park; Barber Co, 20 Upper Craigs FK8 2DG; Nationwide Building Society, Port Street; Waitrose, Burghmuir Retail Park FK7 7NZ; Stirling Albion, Forthbank Stadium FK7 7UJ; ABERFOYLE Intrepid, Main St, Aberfoyle, FK8 3UG BALFRON Andrew Anderson & Sons, 64B Buchanan Street G63 0TW; BANNOCKBURN – Jintz Express/Post Office, 17 Quakerfield; 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.
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 help of a host of drop-off points across the area, the gifts are then distributed via a wide range of charities, large and small, who are able to choose what they need for those children they support.
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; Cornton Vale and Glenochil Family Support Hubs; FVRH children’s ward; and Support4Families, which helps families affected by a loved one’s drug or alcohol misuse.
In recent years groups and foodbanks set up by local volunteers in the Observer circulation area including CRAG (Cowie), Ladies of the Rock, 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, contact the Observer by phone on (01786) 451110 or email: news@stirlingobserver.co.uk or kaiya.marjoribanks@reachplc.com.
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 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.
Please mail vouchers and cards, marked Stirling Observer Give a Gift Appeal, c/o Kaiya Marjoribanks, Mailroom, One Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 8DA. Please include details of the value of the gift card or voucher.
If you would like a confirmation of receipt, provide your name and postal address or email address.
- Drop-off points (see above) - Please note, the Observer office is closed for the time being and not one of the drop-off points, however, we are grateful to the other drop -off points accepting items.
