Leicester toy charity will make a difference this Christmas thanks to donation

Children in Leicestershire who don’t receive gifts at Christmas will now be able to enjoy some festive cheer, thanks to a donation to a local toy charity.  

We have awarded the grant to Toys on the Table which was set up 20 years ago. 

The donation was part of our yearly community kindness campaign, which will see us support 62 local specialist organisations, charities, food banks and events across our East Midlands communities, totalling £35,039.12.  Overall the campaign will donate £82,135 this year.  

Bindya Mistry, our Community Engagement Officer said: “We are so pleased to support the fabulous work undertaken by Toys on the Table, an organisation run purely by the goodwill of volunteers.  As a social housing provider, we have more than 3,300 homes across the city of Leicester and the wider county and it is very likely that many of these children will be receiving gifts from Toys on the Table.  It is heartwarming to think that our donation will ensure that those children who would otherwise have gone without this Christmas will wake up to a present on Christmas morning.”  

Toys on the Table was launched in the early 1980s, when Leicester Round Table established the project.  In recent years it has become a separate independent registered charity, run by a Board of Trustees who represent community service organisations including Rotary International, Inner Wheel, the Society of Leicestershire and Rutland Golf Captains, together with workers and volunteers from both Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council Social Services.  

Last year the charity provided more than 3,500 presents.  Referrals are made through a social worker or schools for children up to the age of 16 years.  

Mac Clarke, Chairman of Toys on the Table said: “We are so grateful for the donation we have received from Platform Housing Group.  The cost of living crisis has deeply affected families in Leicestershire and it is heartbreaking to think of children waking up on Christmas morning without a present. As a charity we rely on donations and would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Platform for its support.”  

Other projects in Leicester and the wider county that have benefited from our Kindness Campaign include Zinthiya Trust, The Ark Warm Space Shelton, New Life Church Coalville Foodbank, The Bridge East Midlands and Leicester South Foodbank.   

Photo caption : l to r, Bindya Mistry, Community Engagement Officer, Platform Housing Group; Heather Ward, Successful Tenancies Team Leader, Platform Housing Group; Arslan Ahmed, Member, Customer Voice Panel, Platform Housing Group; Margaret Watts, Volunteer, Toys on the Table; Mac Clarke, Chairman, Toys on the Table and Rachel Edwards, Customer Engagement Manager, Platform Housing Group.