How a Leighton Buzzard charity will be spreading smiles to children this Christmas
Thousands of toys will be bringing smiles to the faces of children in need this Christmas thanks to charity KidsOut.
The Leighton Buzzard-based charity has been inundated with donations, and at its Luton warehouse on Wednesday (December 17) volunteers set to the mammoth task of boxing them all up in time to spread some Christmas joy. The presents are on their way to the tens of thousands of children who will be spending the festive season in a domestic abuse refuge.
Trustee Eileen Barnes-Vachell explained: "They're already going through trauma, so it's about giving them the best we can. It's very touching and moving to know that the generosity of people in this country is fantastic. It's really lovely.
"There are 26,000 children in refuges in this country and the numbers are increasing, so it's a really big social problem."
And even though finances are tight for many at this time of year, more than 50,000 bags of toys have been donated by companies and individuals.
They will be delivered free of charge by FedEx.
Eileen added: "We have over 1,300 companies who are part of our Giving Tree initiative. This week we’ve had Barclaycard, Tesco, Intivo, Homes by Honey and others volunteering."
The Giving Tree started out as an alternative to the traditional Secret Santa, with participants buying a gift for a child fleeing domestic abuse instead of buying a gift for a colleague.
Some of those children would otherwise receive very little – or nothing – at Christmas.
Last year, 51,070 presents were distributed to children in refuges – and a further 22,199 were given to disadvantaged children who have life-limiting disabilities, are carers, or are affected by economic hardship.
This year it's expected to be even more.
And that's not all. KidsOut has made it its mission to deliver a box of new toys to all children within a week of arriving at a refuge – and they also get birthday presents.
Volunteers are needed year-round at the warehouse and office. Anyone who wants to get involved can email [email protected]
You can also visit the website at https://kidsout.org.uk/ to find out more about how you could make a difference.