Submitted by colette.bradley... on
The 2023 Tameside Toy Appeal was hugely successful once again this year thanks to the support and generosity of the wonderful people of Tameside. The volume of donations and support for the appeal ensured that every nominated child received a gift for Christmas, and the goal for the Just Giving campaign was smashed!
Read our full news article here: www.actiontogether.org.uk/2023-tameside-toy-appeal-huge-success
Thousands of toys and gifts were donated to the appeal by the amazing people of Tameside, local businesses, schools, churches, community groups and charities. We were overwhelmed by the generosity shown and by the sheer number of people wanting to help those most in need within our communities.
The Appeal wouldn’t be what it is without our dedicated team of volunteers. Our Toy Taxi Drivers helped us collecting donations of toys and gifts from the many drop-off points across Tameside, and by delivering them safely to the Children’s Centres. We were astounded, and very fortunate, in 2023 to have lots of local people sign up to become Toy Appeal Volunteers, as well as great Tameside charities such as Ashton United in the Community who offered their support too.
We smashed our JustGiving Fund target and all of the money raised was used to buy gifts for the appeal. Most years we find that we are low on gifts for teenage boys and very young babies and the JustGiving Fund donations enables us to fill in any of those gaps.
We had a really great selection of official drop-off points for the 2023 Appeal, located all across the borough. The luxury of having so many drop-off points made it easier for more people to make donations and it also helped us to promote the Appeal far and wide.
2023’s Festive Fundraisers left us speechless! Between them they raised well over £5,000 for the Appeal which they used to purchase toys and gifts for Tameside families. We loved seeing Kathy and Olivia return to support us, as they have done for many years. We were also very pleased to welcome Harrison, Tom and Aaron to the Tameside Toy Appeal Team for 2023.
Our fundraisers are incredible people that go out of their way to make a difference. Each year we create a special video to sum up just how much impact this wonderful appeals has, the difference it makes to so many families across Tameside and to show our appreciation to everyone that has supported us in our mission. You can watch that video HERE.
Warmhearted Tameside children stepped up to support the Appeal
One of the most touching elements of the Appeal was the amount of Tameside children who wanted to 'do their bit' and be involved. Our Action Together team and volunteers visited many schools, children’s hubs and community centres and had the privilege of meeting some of Tameside’s incredible young people. It has been very inspiring hear these children talk about how they want to help other children.
These young people have made a massive difference. They have helped us by donating epic amounts of toys and gifts to the appeal and, because of them, the profile of the Tameside Toy Appeal was raised to new heights. They have gone above and beyond and we are truly grateful!
From individual fundraising to organising collections within their schools, there were some really heartening stories...
Olivia Kenyon individually raised over £900 for the Appeal, making necklaces, snap bands and badges. Olivia sold her homemade items to raise money which she then used to buy brand-new toys for those children living in poverty here in Tameside. Tameside Radio Reporter, Mark Andrews, spoke to Olivia when she visited Hyde Children’s Centre to drop off the toys. Hear her interview HERE.
“I started fundraising in 2020, during lockdown. There were lots of kids that were not going to get anything for Christmas, I wanted to make sure they did. I have carried on fundraising every year since then” Olivia Kenyon - Age 9
Eleven year old 'festive fundraiser' Harrison Tucker raised £500 for the Appeal by giving up chocolate for Stoptober. He then used the money raised to buy lots of toys and gifts for families that need them the most. Watch Harrison talk about why he wanted to support the Appeal HERE.
“I decided to do Stoptober and give up chocolate. I started raising money through sponsorships and then went out and bought lots of toys. It makes me happy knowing that there will be children with smiles on their faces on Christmas Day because of what I’ve done to help.” Harrison Tucker - Age 11
Numerous local businesses pledged their support once again
The Appeal was incredibly fortunate to have the support of so many local businesses. In fact, we had more business supporters in 2023 than any other year, and because of this we saw huge amounts of toys being delivered to the Children’s Centres in Tameside.
It was great to have the continued support from the businesses that work with us every year, and it was amazing to work with lots of new businesses too.
We had a fantastic number of official Tameside Toy Appeal drop off points dotted all across the borough, which made it even easier for the public to make donations of toys and gifts.
We also received several very generous donations of money to our dedicated JustGiving Fund from local businesses, and were able to smash our fundraising goal. Every single penny of the money raised was used to buy toys and gifts for those children most in need in Tameside.
In addition, many local businesses choose to host toy collections for their staff members, clients and customers to take part in. We have been blown away by the generosity shown, and the number of people wanting to help others and make such a difference.
Here's what some of our supporting businesses had to say about their involvement;
"It warms our hearts that we are honoured to support the Tameside Toy Appeal for the second year in a row. Our community has many families facing difficult times, living in poverty, and Christmas can be incredibly challenging for them as they struggle to provide presents for their children. Shockingly, over a third of Tameside children are living in poverty. Winter will be harsh, and some families must choose between heating and eating. We wanted to help make a difference this Christmas, so we donated £500, and each team member donated gifts too.” The EF Group
“We have supported the Tameside Toy Appeal for four years. We are proud as a business to be able to support the Tameside community, and we look forward to being able to do it again in the future. This year we donated £500 to the appeal so that toys can be provided to the families most in need within our communities.” Besseges (Valves, Tubes and Fittings) Limited
"Incredibly proud of our team! We’ve been working with Action Together for over five years, to help provide a gift for children in the local community, through the Tameside Toy Appeal. Even as a global organisation, we’ll always strive to make a positive impact to those on our doorstep in Greater Manchester.” Brother UK