Marks and Spencer donates 20,000 toys worth £225k to The Sun’s Smiles at Christmas campaign to help needy children
The store's record donation will be split between four charities supporting vulnerable kids over the festive period
MARKS & Spencer yesterday donated 20,000 toys for needy children as part of our Smiles At Christmas appeal.
Mrs Claus, star of the store’s Christmas campaign, arranged the last-minute dispatch worth £225,000 — a record donation for M&S — after a Twitter plea from The Sun.
On Friday morning, The Sun sent out a speculative tweet to the sassy character, writing: “’Tis the season for giving and we need some more toys for #SmilesAtChristmas.
“A worthy cause for Mrs Claus?”
Father Christmas' wife got back to us quickly saying she was keen to help and then arranged for a dispatch of the toys yesterday.
She made two deliveries on M&S lorries worth £225,000.
One huge haul went straight to one of the charities we are helping called Scottys Little Soldiers at their Kings Lynn HQ.
Another bigger delivery went to The Sun’s printing HQ at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
From there we will be distributing the toys to women’s shelters, hospitals and directly to some of the kids we have featured in our appeal.
The amazing gift includes 500 of each of 40 different pressies for kids such as books, games, cuddly toys and activity sets.
It contains all sorts from sketch kits, to pop up castles, to dinosaur puzzles to Elsa dolls.
The toys cost from £3.50 to £25 with an average price of £11.
Then M&S staff mucked in to load up the lorries at their depot in Magna Park, Lutterworth, Leicestershire and hit the road.
The products were transported with help from CML and DHL.
Already, other big-hearted firms have helped the charities in our campaign.
There was a generous £25,000 from the Morrisons Foundation, the charity arm of the supermarket.
Give cash
Online:
Text: To give £2, text KIDS55 2 to 70070. You can change the amount to £3, £4, £5 or £10 by changing the last figure to 3, 4, 5 or 10.
Post: Send a cheque, made payable to JustGiving Foundation, to JustGiving The Sun Appeal, Bluefin Building 2nd Floor, London SE1 0TA
Give toys
You can donate new or used toys in good condition at 1,370 branches of McColl’s convenience stores.
Toys “R” Us will accept new toys only — look for special Sun trolleys near entrances.
Tell pals
Like our Facebook page
Or tweet using #SmilesAtChristmas to let us know how you’re getting involved!
Plus British Gas-owners Centrica piled in with a sizeable five-figure sum, and web giant Amazon offered a cash donation plus 50 Kindle tablet computers worth £50 each.
Toys R Us encouraged customers to join in by buying and extra toy and donating it in special collection bins in shops.
Those toys are also being delivered back to Sun HQ for distribution.
Meanwhile McColl’s, the chain of convenience stores, also had special sacks in every shop so Sun readers could donate toys to our appeal.
