A Christmas toy appeal in Newham is back for its 49th year, with organisers aiming to collect at least 10,000 new toys and gifts for children who might otherwise have little or nothing to open on Christmas morning.
The Kevin Jenkins OBE Newham Christmas Toy Appeal is run by the charity Ambition, Aspire, Achieve, known as AAA. It supports children and young people across the borough who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or at risk, and this year at least 2,000 are expected to be referred to it.
The target works out at five new gifts for every child referred. Each set is chosen with the child’s age, needs and abilities in mind, and, wherever possible, includes something they have particularly wished for.
Paula Blake, AAA’s operations manager, and Jonny Boux, its chief executive, said the cost of living continues to put enormous strain on families already struggling to make ends meet. For many of the children referred, they said, financial hardship is only one part of the challenges they face.
“At Christmas, these pressures can become even greater,” they said. “For some families, buying presents simply isn’t possible and, without the support of the appeal, many children would have very little or nothing to open on Christmas morning.”
They added that the appeal is about much more than the gifts themselves. It is, they said, about making sure children feel remembered, valued and included at Christmas, while easing some of the pressure on their parents and carers.
Referrals come through a network of professionals working with families in need, including children’s services, schools, health visitors and family support groups. That route means the gifts can be matched to individual children rather than handed out at random, with presents sorted and matched once they arrive.
People can help in several ways. AAA has put together a dedicated Christmas Toy Appeal gift list, available through Amazon and Gifster, with presents suitable for different ages, interests and abilities and at a range of prices, so there are options to suit different budgets. Gifts bought through the list are delivered directly to the appeal, ready to be sorted and matched to the children and young people referred to AAA.
The gift list itself is built around stocking presents, with choices for different ages, interests and abilities. That range matters because the children and young people referred to the appeal span different ages, and the aim is to match each gift to the child who will receive it rather than offering the same present to everyone.
Financial donations can also be made through AAA’s JustGiving campaign page for the appeal. The appeal also relies on individuals, businesses, schools and community groups who donate toys, raise funds, volunteer and organise collections.
The first donation of this year’s appeal came from sisters Layla and Salma Haidrani, who have supported it for four years. They dropped off gifts including toiletries and perfumes for older children, items they had bought a few at a time over the past year.
Paula Blake said it was another lovely donation from the sisters, and thanked them for the time and trouble they had gone to. Layla said it was their pleasure, adding that they had bought and acquired the items over the last year, a few each week, because it is the time of year when everyone should do what they can to help those who need it most.
The organisers said they would be delighted if more people joined in supporting the appeal and helping to make Christmas a little brighter for thousands of local children and families. Together, they said, supporters can make sure children facing some of the greatest challenges in the community know they have not been forgotten this Christmas.
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