Toy appeal expands to Chippenham (From This Is Wiltshire)

Toy appeal expands to Chippenham

7:00am Friday 20th November 2009

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People donating gifts for the Salvation Army Christmas Toy Appeal, which is supported by the Gazette, can now drop them off at three new locations in Chippenham.

Elite Fashions in Station Hill, Westaff in Market Place and branches of Superdrug in the High Street and in Devizes will now collect donations.

Toys can also be dropped of at the Gazette and Herald offices in Chippenham, Devizes and Marlborough and at the Salvation Army Hall in Foghamshire, Chippenham.

The appeal provides new toys for families who struggle to afford to buy their children Christmas presents and benefited over 150 youngsters last year.

Chippenham Salvation Army captain Lisa Goble hopes the new drop off points will make it easier for people to donate their gifts.

She said: “People have been really generous.

“We couldn’t do it without their valuable support.”

Miss Goble also praised the hard working Army volunteers who collect, sort and store the presents before they are sent to social services who deliver them to local families.

She said: “The volunteers go round and collect the toys from all the drop off points.

“Then back at the centre they sort the toys into age groups and decide whether they are for boys or girls.

“They then take the lists provided by social services for each family and select which toys fit with each family. Then they are bagged up and put into storage.”

While the toys are waiting to be delivered to social services they are stored in a volunteer’s garage.

The appeal runs from November 22 to December 18.

All donated toys need to be new, still in their packaging but not wrapped with Christmas paper.

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