Hands up if a little part of you dreads Christmas because you know your kids' cupboards are already overflowing with toys, some of which barely ever get taken out and played with. Here's a fabulous way of recycling them to help others - as well as making it much easier to keep your house tidy. Sounds like a win-win situation to me !
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Millions of kids called on by Argos to ‘Re-play’ their unwanted toys and help Barnardo’s this Christmas
- 474 million un-played with toys languishing in UK homes
- Argos urging parents and children to donate them to its Toy Exchange and support children’s charity Barnardo’s
Argos, the UK’s number one toy retailer, today joins forces with children’s charity Barnardo’s to launch the Argos Toy Exchange, marking the start of a new partnership to help children and their families. The new initiative encourages parents and children to donate pre-loved toys to raise money for some of the UK’s most disadvantaged children and young people.
From Wednesday 17th October, ‘donation stations’ will be in operation at around 740 Argos stores and 500 Barnardo’s retail stores where members of the public will be able to donate unwanted toys in exchange for a £5 voucher towards the cost of new toys (minimum £35 spend) to be redeemed at Argos by 24 December. The initiative was launched in London, where celebrity mum and Argos Toy Exchange ambassador, Danielle Lineker, met with children from Northlands Park children’s centre delivered by Barnardo’s, in Basildon, Essex.
Danielle Lineker said: “I’m really proud to be supporting the Argos Toy Exchange. Argos is a destination for most UK mums, including myself, at Christmas and this initiative allows you to not only bring a smile to your children’s faces this year, but many more who need help from Barnardo’s services across the UK. All we’re asking is for people to clear out their toy boxes and bring any unwanted toys into Argos, so they can donate them to a good cause.”
New research by Argos shows that the average UK family has 80 toys but children don’t regularly play with two thirds of them, resulting in a huge 474 million un-played with toys in homes. At least a third of parents admitted to keeping unwanted toys at home and one in five (19 per cent) even confessed to throwing them away. Each year 13 million toys end up in the dustbin and landfill sites, many of which are in good condition and could be given a new home. In stark contrast, there are 3.6 million children living below the poverty line in the UK, which is almost a third of all children. Many families living in poverty have just £12 per day per person to buy everything they need such as food, heating, clothes, electricity, transport and toys.
All of the toys donated through the Argos Toy Exchange will be passed on to Barnardo’s to be sold in its retail stores. Every penny of profit made in Barnardo’s retail stores then goes directly into their work with some of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.
To donate toys to the Argos Toy Exchange, visit your local Argos or Barnardo’s store from Wednesday 17th October 2012. Donations will be accepted at stores until Tuesday 27th November 2012.
For more information about the Toy Exchange, visit www.argos.co.uk/toyexchange.
We are also on Twitter - #argostoyexchange.
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Fantastic charity is this, as are all charities
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Jen S
what a brilliant idea. we use to hand ours on to the children's ward of our local hospital back in the day it was allowed.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, especially with such a good charity x
ReplyDeleteseen the ads for this, such a brilliant idea!
ReplyDeleteI always try to do this, its for a good cause, declutters the house and the kids dont get upset so much if you tell them its to make way for new toys
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