Victoria Place has announced that a final total of 8,020 toys have been donated to ‘The Forgotten Toys’ Christmas appeal. The ever-growing pile of toys flooded out of the toy donation station and created an amazing display which stopped customers in their tracks.
The toys will be donated this week to three local charities, Sebastian’s Action Trust, The Children’s Trust and The Lighthouse, who will distribute all the pre-loved toys collected to the children who can love them once again, in time for Christmas.
The focus of the appeal has been on donating pre-loved toys that are no longer used, so that they have the opportunity to be loved once again by a new owner. However, the centre has also seen a massive amount of additional kindness with people buying new gifts on-site to donate to the appeal. One gentleman, whose son died 30 years ago, does something special every Christmas in his memory – this year he bought £100-worth of new toys to donate.
Meanwhile, it has been a busy Christmas at Victoria Place with a 7.1% increase on footfall compared to November 2023 and car parking up 3% compared to October.
John Paul Jackson, centre manager, said: “We’re hugely grateful for the generosity everyone has shown towards our ‘Forgotten Toys’ donation appeal. These donations will go to new homes in time for Christmas and into next year, and are so vital at a time when the pressure of living costs is so real for so many. Plus, Santa’s Grotto is proving exceptionally popular this year. We’re so happy people are taking advantage of this experience, and we have made it free so that no-one has to go without this traditional and magical activity this year. We wish all our customers a very happy and healthy Christmas and New Year, and hope you will enjoy everything on offer at Victoria Place this festive season.”
