Businesses step in to help charity Christmas Toy Appeal

Taff Ahmed owner of Rochdale toy shop ToysARoo is supporting the appeal

Rochdale’s businesses have stepped up to help the council’s Christmas Toy Appeal after the normal drop off points were forced to close due to national coronavirus restrictions.

The appeal organised by Rochdale Borough Council’s staff-run ‘Giving Back’ charity collects gifts from local residents and makes sure they reach the borough’s less fortunate children in time for Christmas, but with libraries and Link4Life leisure centres shut they were relying on online orders and gifts posted direct to the appeal.

This week local firms have come forward to help, with drop off points now available at Tesco Rochdale as well as Co-Op stores in Milnrow, Castleton and Littleborough. They’ll accept your new, unwrapped gift suitable for a child between 0-16 years-old until Friday 4 December.

To make donating even easier, Rochdale toy shop ToysARoo on Howard Place has teamed up with Rochdale Business Improvement District (BID) to help. You can order a gift online from their website, select ‘pick up’ as your delivery option, type ‘Giving Back’ in the ‘add a note to order’ box and BID staff will collect purchases and deliver them to the appeal for you.

Since 2015 the appeal has provided festive cheer for thousands of children and teenagers, with council staff collecting and distributing 2,500 toys last year.

Council policy advisor Helen Walton, from the Giving Back charity, said the response so far has been reassuring: "We’ve had so many people messaging us offering to help and hopefully with these new drop off points and the option of ordering online from a Rochdale business we are making it that little bit easier for those who want to donate without leaving home. 2020 has been such a tough year but we’re more determined than ever to deliver some Christmas magic. I still want to make sure that every child in the borough wakes up on Christmas morning with a present waiting for them and with your help we will do everything in our power to make this happen.”

The address to send gifts to is: Giving Back - Christmas Toy Appeal, Rochdale Borough Council, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU. Gifts will need to have been received by Friday 4 December.

To find out more about how to help the charity appeal visit:

• www.rochdale.gov.uk/features/christmas/Pages/christmas-toy-appeal.aspx