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Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Logo

03/11/2022

Play Your Part in the Council’s Christmas Toy Scheme

The successful Christmas Community Toy Scheme is to be rolled out across Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough for the third year in a row.

Toys will get another chance to be loved by children as the scheme distributes toys in good condition to a new home. New toys will also find a welcoming home and into the arms of a little child this Christmas with the help of participating community organisations.

Community organisations who have stepped up to facilitate the scheme include; ‘Listening Ear,’ ‘Fit Moms and Kids’ and ‘A Safe Space to be Me.’ These community organisations are providing drop-off points and will arrange for the new toys to be distributed to those in need. Last year, 3,850 toys were donated, providing toys for children in many families across the Borough and diverting over 2.5 tonnes of waste from landfill.

The Council, in partnership with local charity, Habitat for Humanity, will aim to replicate the success of the toy scheme from last Christmas. Pre-loved toys in good condition can be dropped off in the Christmas Toy Collection containers at any of the Council’s five Household Recycling Centres. These toys will be collected by Habitat for Humanity who will sort, clean and sell them on at low prices in their ReStore shops. Muckamore Parish Development Association (MPDA) are also teaming up with Habitat for Humanity NI to host a pop-up toyshop for preloved and new toys.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Alderman Stephen Ross said:

"Christmas this year will be particularly difficult for many families as we face the cost of living crisis and I urge anyone who can buy or donate a spare toy to do so.

"We can’t forget the magic of Christmas for our children across the Borough, and that’s why I’m delighted to be launching our third Christmas Toy Scheme. We’re also rescuing toys from landfill and playing our part for the environment. I know we have extremely generous people in our community and with the support of our community organisations, we can come together to make this appeal even more successful than last year.”

This initiative is the perfect opportunity to donate unused items that are in good condition so they can be distributed to those families in need. The Community Toy Scheme comes on the back of the successful school uniform reuse scheme, which received over 7,000 uniform item donations, supporting over 900 families.

Details of the Community Toy and Pre-Loved Christmas Scheme including dates and donation points will be available on the council website and social media in the run up to Christmas.

For more details on the Christmas Toy Scheme, visit www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/christmastoyscheme

Find your local recycling centre, visit www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/recyclingcentres 

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