'Christmas wouldn't happen without it' - toy appeal launched

The appeal, run by Swift Couriers, works in conjunction with West Berkshire Council to help support families over the festive period.
Attending the launch last Thursday were children from Parsons Down School, the mayor and mayoress of Newbury, along with representatives from the organisations involved, including Apple Print, Sainsbury’s, Tescos, Newbury Building Society and the Furniture Project.
Group managing director for Swift Couriers, Adrian Smith, said: “We’ve had seven fantastic years and every year is better than the last. The impact it has is unbelievable. Christmas would not happen for them, it’s as simple as that. It would just be another day without the generosity of the people of West Berkshire.”
Donations must be brand-new and can range from gifts for newborns to those aged 19. They must also be unwrapped to allow the children to choose a gift. The appeal is not just a wish list for toys, as clothing, store vouchers and toiletries can also be donated.
“The older ones are just as important,” Mr Smith said. “Some of them have nothing and all they will get is what the people of West Berkshire give them.”
Mr Smith added that last year’s appeal saw around £60,000 worth of gifts donated. “Everyone of those gifts was needed and we could have done with more. You don’t think a problem exists in West Berkshire as we’re quite an affluent area,” he said.
Anyone wishing to donate can do so at Swift Courier, Hambridge Lane, Newbury. Apple Print, Abex Road, Newbury. Camp Hopson, Northbrook Street. Mothercare, Newbury retail park All Newbury Building Society branches. Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford libraries.
Sainsbury’s Newbury. Tescos on the A4, Pinchington Lane and Hungerford and West Berkshire Council offices.