The Easter Toy amnesty is here 

This Easter, the British Heart Foundation is coming to the rescue of parents nationwide, asking them to clear out all those pre-loved toys and help raise funds for vital heart research.

From cuddly toys to train sets and everything in between, the British Heart Foundation is appealing to parents to stop tripping over those pieces of Lego and call its dedicated team of toy collectors. 

Almost half of the gifts bought by parents for Christmas will have already been forgotten, according to new research released on 19 March, with 15% of toys being neglected, forgotten, or bored of within just days.

Additionally, 23% of those Christmas toys are neglected within a month (that's around 32 million toys across the UK) and 40% within three months – by Easter – so now is the perfect time to have a clear out and help the British Heart Foundation.

The study – commissioned by toy subscription box Whirli and run by Sapio Research – also reveals, on average, children received 21 toys this Christmas, with 5% receiving more than 50.

The majority of parents think their children are given too many toys at Christmas and other special occasions (80%), whilst 56% of parents say prices are too high to constantly be refreshing children’s toy boxes – yet surprisingly, only 58% of parents get pre-loved toys.

The average household has 44 toy sets with just 39% of the toys in use, leaving almost 27 toys neglected at any one time – little wonder that 77% of parents feel that toys are cluttering their house, with 69% saying they have too many toys for their children.

To coincide with the Easter break, from Monday 8 April until Friday 12, the BHF’s nationwide fleet of van drivers will be poised to swoop in and collect toys big and small, with all items donated going towards helping the charity’s research into beating heart disease. 

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director for the British Heart Foundation, said: “As a parent I know how easy it can be for toys to end up piled everywhere, with some not played with for months.

“The British Heart Foundation Toy Amnesty is here to help clear out those toys that are ready for a new home and a whole new set of adventures.

“Call the BHF for a free collection or pop in to one of our 550 shops and donate in person, you could even pick up one of our donated toys at the same time. Every item sold in a BHF shop helps us to raise even more funds for our life-saving heart research.”

And it’s not just toys for little ones, Toy Expert at the British Heart Foundation, Chris Walker says collectable toys are just as popular: “Items such as Polly Pocket, Subbuteo, Corgi cars, Transformers, Star Wars and Lego, are all big sellers for us.

“They often have cult followings and are in demand from collectors. Toys from the 80s and early 1990s are popular too as a lot of the people who were children then have now grown up and become nostalgic for their childhood. Items like Sega and Nintendo are always welcome.’

Last year the BHF made £3 million from the sale of toys alone. Donate your pre-loved toys to your local British Heart Foundation shop and you can help the millions of children and adults across the UK living with heart and circulatory disease.

To book a free collection, call: 0808 250 0220 or find your nearest shop at www.bhf.org.uk/shop

More information here: www.bhf.org.uk/toyamnesty