The Teesside Charity Christmas Toy Appeal is back for 2024 to help ensure that no child in Teesside wakes up on Christmas Day without a gift.
Christmas is a magical time of year for most of us. However, for many children in Teesside, through circumstances beyond their control, this is not the case.
One in three children in our region are living below the breadline and their families must make a tough choice between paying their bills or buying food, so Christmas is simply not feasible.
This year we are bringing back The Teesside Charity Christmas Toy Appeal to help ensure that no child wakes up on Christmas Day without a gift.
We are calling on the help and support of our community to help us provide as many gifts as possible to children suffering hardship. We can’t do this without your support.
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.
If you would like to find out more information about how you can get involved, please email Jenny.w@teessidecharity.org.uk.
All gifts MUST be delivered to your preferred drop off point by Friday 29th 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 29th November.
Some of our lovely supporters are kindly acting as drop off points for our Christmas Toy Appeal! If you have purchased a gift for our Christmas Toy Appeal, you can drop it off at any of the listed organisations.
Thirteen Housing Group – 2 Hudson Quay, Windward Way, Middlesbrough, TS2 1QG
Schools, social services, health visitors, local charities and organisations can apply for gifts for a family in need by filling out ‘The Teesside Charity Christmas Toy Appeal’ form.
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:
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:
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:
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.