Christmas Toy Appeal

 You can help give a child in Teesside the gift of Christmas this year by donating a gift or organising a collection in your workplace. You can either purchase a gift of your choice or purchase a gift from our Toy Appeal Amazon Wish List. Alternatively, you can donate funds to the Toy Appeal by visiting our website’s ‘Donate’ page and we will purchase the gifts on your behalf.

Gifts can be hand delivered or posted to The Teesside Charity, Cargo Fleet Offices, Middlesbrough, TS6 6XJ.

 All gifts MUST be delivered to your preferred drop off point by Friday 22nd November to ensure we have enough time to distribute the presents to families before Christmas. If your organisation has chosen to raise funds for us to purchase gifts on your behalf, please ensure all funds are handed over to the charity by Friday 22nd November. 

Applying for gifts

FAQ’s

What type of gifts should I purchase? 

We can’t accept any second-hand or used gifts, regardless of their condition, for health and safety reasons. We also only accept new gifts to ensure that the children we support are getting something new for Christmas – especially since it may be the only gift they receive. Unfortunately, we can’t accept homemade or knitted items either.

Suggested gift ideas:

• 0-3 years:  dolls, teddy bears, cot mobiles, rattles, activity boards, musical instruments, stacking rings, shape sorters, props for make-believe play, bath toys and puzzles
• 3-5: dolls, action figures, educational games and toys, active games, toy vehicles, art supplies, books and puzzles
• 5-9: educational games and toys, stationery, books, sports equipment, remote control cars, building sets, board games and magic sets
• 9-12: Board games, stationery, books, hair accessories, model kits, sports equipment,
• 13-16: books, make-up and toiletries (please try to ensure non-allergic ingredients if possible), hair accessories and gift vouchers

Batteries can be expensive for parents to buy, so if your gift requires them, please do try to provide them. Please tape any purchased batteries to the side of the box so that children can play with their gift on Christmas Day.

Are there any presents we can’t buy?

We ask that you refrain from buying:

• Edible items (not including new unopened selection boxes)
• Anything that assumes the family has something for the toy to be of use (e.g. a DVD, CD or video game)

What name and address do I use?

If you wish to purchase your gift from a local or online retailer of your choice you can either hand deliver your gift or post it to The Teesside Charity, Cargo Fleet Offices, Middlesbrough, TS6 6PT.

As a company how should we organise buying gifts?

This is up to you! Here’s a few ideas:

• Each member of staff can buy a present
• Fundraise as an office and buy all the presents in one go
• Set a company budget to purchase the presents
• Fundraise for us to buy presents on your behalf

Can we wrap and label the presents?

No. Wrapping the present is a lovely idea, however gifts are left unwrapped for safety reasons, and to enable us and the recipients to work out which age group the gift is suitable for.

Can extras be added to my gift?

That would be a lovely gesture. Please feel free to add any suitable age-related items to your present!

I put my name on the order by accident. Will the child still receive their gift?

As long as the address is correct, the item will be delivered to the correct location and the child will still receive their gift.

Where do the gifts go? How are they distributed? 

Gifts are sorted by our team. The gifts are signed for and collected by the organisation who have applied on behalf of the children they work with. The organisation will distribute the gifts they receive to the families they are supporting for them to wrap and put under the Christmas tree.

Can you let me know that my gift has been received?

Unfortunately, we will not be able to inform everyone when we have received their gift. If you are purchasing your product from an online retailer, you will be able to track the delivery of the gift and check when it has arrived at our office.