BHF shops
Donate your toys to help us cope with bumper demand
We are asking families across Britain to make room for Christmas and donate their children’s unwanted treasures, as we are dealing with bumper demand for toys, boardgames and puzzles this festive season.
To encourage donations, we have released a series of images where elves can be seen guiding toys to their nearest BHF shop, including guiding a doll in her car to her nearest shop and dusting off board games.
The elves’ endeavours come as we have seen demand for second hand toys increase and as a result, we urgently need quality donations to keep shops stocked with second hand gifts for Christmas.
We are calling on families who might be clearing out the toy boxes and cupboards to make room for Christmas by donating their unwanted items so another child can enjoy a preloved treasure.
Send your unwanted toys to a new home
Whether it’s a Barbie that never made it out of the box, a Lego set your child has outgrown, or a puzzle they no longer use, the charity is encouraging the public to drop them off at their local BHF shop and send them to a new home.
Allison Swaine-Hughes, our Retail Director says, “Christmas is an incredibly expensive time of year especially for families. BHF shops are a fantastic place to pick up gifts for all the family at a fraction of the price.
“We’re already seeing an increased demand for toys and games ahead of the festive season. So, as you start decluttering to make room for Christmas in your home, please consider donating unwanted toys, games and puzzles to the BHF for new families to enjoy.”
Our eBay toy expert, Christopher Walker, knows your Polly Pockets from your Action Man and added:
“Many of us have boxes of toys we hold onto from our childhood that gather dust or sit in the loft for a rainy day. If you donate to the BHF, you’ll make someone else’s day by giving your toys a new home and a new lease of life. Let’s help the elves dust off our pre loved toys and generously donate them to find a new home this Christmas.”
Top tips for donating toys
1. If you can, make sure board games and puzzles have all the pieces in the box before donating them. A missing ‘Z’ in a Scrabble set can stand in the way of winning or losing and we don’t want to be responsible for that!
2. The exception to the tip above is sets of Lego or Duplo – incomplete sets of these toys are very popular and still generate lots of fun.
3. Save your batteries and remove them from toys and games before donating them – we will still test them before they are placed on sale.
4. Everyone loves to hear stories behind pre loved teddy bears. They’ll always find a warm new home and someone to love them.
5. If you have collectable toys to donate, they can be valuable in any condition – so don’t leave them behind when you donate.