Conversations ranged from our annual Toys and Teens Appeal to the outings we organise throughout the year for local families. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with the community, answer questions and talk about how local support makes such a meaningful difference.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone at The Fisherman’s Café for their generous donation of £306.73. Their kindness, enthusiasm and warm welcome meant a great deal to us.

Community spaces like The Fisherman’s Café show just how powerful simple acts of hospitality can be. Thank you to all involved for supporting Reading Family Aid and the families we serve.

Jill, a Parish Nurse at Reading Gateway, has been involved in the Toys and Teens Appeal for the past five years. She said: “The appeal means so much to us. It is truly amazing to see the joy it brings to children who might otherwise receive very little. Parents often express deep gratitude, saying how the support helps relieve the enormous stress of what should be a happy time. Without this appeal, many would find it unbearable not being able to provide even a small gift for their children. To be able to lift that burden and bring smiles to families is a real privilege.”

Each week of the Appeal, we are grateful to the Reading Chronicle for printing our stories and pictures, together with the list of  Donation Points

Members of the public donated at our 24 public donation points that were scattered all over the Reading area.

Berkshire Freemasons asked their members to donate to the appeal and they raised an astonishing £6,000 with which they bought gifts mainly for the older children which they brought to the hall at the start of the week. Diane Stone said, “It’s incredible what Reading Family Aid do each and every year with the contribution from Berkshire Freemasons.”

Businesses got involved and asked their employees to donate to their in-house collection.
Hewlett Packard supported our Appeal again, saying: “For the third year running, HP are proud to stand alongside Reading Family Aid in support of their Toys and Teens Appeal. The difference they make to families across Reading at Christmas is truly inspiring. Once again we are collecting toys and gifts at our End of Year Event to help ensure every child wakes up to something special on Christmas morning. We’ve seen first-hand how generous the local community can be, and we’re looking forward to another incredible year of giving back together. It’s a privilege to play a part in helping Reading Family Aid bring joy to so many families this festive season.”

Roc Search did their usual generous collection, and were there to meet our van team and help load up the van with all the gifts.

​Many schools organised collections, and we were amazed at the generosity of the school communities.

People have donated £3,813 on our GoFundMe and we received many other donations via our LocalGiving Site and even some in cash!
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It isn't too late to donate - anything received now will go towards next year's Appeal or to one of our Outings in 2026. Donate to the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Readingfamilyaidtoysandteens2025

​We did go shopping too and purchased vouchers for the teenagers and gifts for teenagers, as well as sensory toys for children on the autistic spectrum. Smyths Toys kindly gave us a generous discount on items purchased from them.

We worked with schools, places of worship, social workers, health visitors and other charities in the area to identify families that met our criteria. These families will receive a sackful of gifts for their children.
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As Laura, our Appeal Manager said: "While our motto is 'Putting smiles on children's faces', our charity is Reading Family Aid and we do help the whole family. It takes a huge weight from the parents' shoulders and allows them the joy of being able to give their children some gifts on Christmas morning.". 
In a previous year one little person told her parish nurse, "I woke on Christmas day and Father Christmas came. I got presents in a sack which I knew came from Father Christmas, as my mummy had told me she couldn’t get us any this year.”

On Saturday December 6th, our volunteer Van Men and Women collected three vans generously donated by Caversham Vehicle Hire and started the process of collecting tables donated from various church halls and organisations including 89th Scouts Group, St Anne's Church in Caversham, St Barnabas Church in Emmer Green, Caversham Hall and St Luke's Church in Reading. During the week they, with the help of various committee members and our Supporter Jan, went to all the Donation Points around town, plus various businesses, places of worship, and schools.  They also delivered the packed sacks and between the collections and deliveries drove for about 500 miles around Reading! This year, for the first time, we had help on the vans from Berkshire Freemasons, which made a huge difference - our thanks go out to them for this help on top of their existing toy donations.

Some of the donation points had so many donations that we had to do interim collections during the weeks leading up to the end of the Appeal. These were taken by committee members to Big Yellow Self Storage who donate a room for us.

Then the work of checking, sorting and packing up all the donations begins. This is all done with the help of an army of 105 volunteers, many from various businesses in the town, as well as individuals, some of whom have been coming for many years.

Every item is checked to make sure it is clean, complete, working, legal and if it needs batteries, all under the supervision of Sallie who has been in this role for more years than she can remember! This year was Sallie’s last year supervising the toy sorting though, as she is retiring from the Reading Family Aid Committee - we will miss her very much!

​If it passes all the tests and, if needed, has batteries included or attached, it is placed on the tables that correspond to the item's age suitability. Tens of thousands of items and every single one checked for suitability.

Then other volunteers start to pack black sacks. Each sack will contain 4-6 items for each of three children. If we have plenty of items for a particular age group, then we provide more books and stocking fillers.

The sacks are then sorted for each requesting organisation and loaded onto a van for distribution.

This year we were honoured to receive visits from Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley, and Mayor of Reading, Councillor Dr Alice Mpofu-Coles. They both took great interest in our sorting and packing process, and helped us with our publicity of the Appeal - thank you!

Huge thanks to everyone that made it possible to put smiles on 2,676 children's faces this Christmas:

• all those that donated gifts and money
• all the businesses, libraries, community centres and schools that offered to be public donation points
• all the businesses, places of worship, schools and other organisations that organised in-house collections
• all those that volunteered to help in the hall and in the vans and especially Jan who does interim collections and stored a whole van full of gifts in her house! 
• all the companies that gave some of their staff a day off to help.
• all the organisations that loaned us tables
• and lastly but by no means least, all of our main sponsors whose ongoing support makes all this possible:

Caversham Vehicle Hire, who give us free use of several of their vans for the week so we can collect all the donations and deliver the packed sacks.

Procter & Gamble, who have donated a large amount of money that we can use to buy toys, gifts and essential supplies to run the Project, and supplied volunteers to sort and pack the gifts.
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Big Yellow Self Storage, who give us a free room so that we can store the early donations.

Trust ID, who have donated a large amount of money that we can use to buy toys, gifts and essential supplies to run the Project, and supplied volunteers to sort and pack the gifts.

The Reading Chronicle, who give us a full page each week of the Appeal where you can read our stories and get a full list of the donation points.

Enterprise Mobility, who have donated a large amount of money that we can use to buy toys, gifts and essential supplies to run the Project.

Berkshire Freemasons​, who generously donate several thousands of pounds worth of toys and gifts each year, and have helped on the vans this year.

Thanks to all of you and we'll do it all again next year!

Key Dates for 2026:

• Appeal Launch Date: Thursday 22nd October.
• ​Last day for donations: Saturday December 5th.
• Next year's Sorting and Packing Week: Sunday December 6th to Friday December 11th.

Kelvin said:  “I use any spare money left over from my state pension each week to buy toys for the children with no Christmas presents. This is the second year I’ve done this. I read the stories in the Chronicle last year and thought my spare money was doing nothing sitting in the bank - so I might as well do some good with it.”

For Kelvin, the appeal represents something bigger than just gifts under a tree. “These days everyone’s looking at how much everything costs, and a lot of people can’t afford what they need, let alone what they’d like,” he said. “The world’s a very unstable place right now, and things aren’t going to get better any time soon. Helping local people is something we can all do. It makes me feel good and worthwhile”. 

Twenty-five years ago, Reading Family Aid supported around 400 children through its annual Toy Appeal. Today, that number has risen more than sixfold, a reminder that the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect many families across Berkshire.

We are especially mindful this week of the older children - the teens. Many donors naturally think of younger ages when shopping, but teenagers aged 13-16 tell us they feel overlooked. With your help, we want to ensure they receive something meaningful too: board games, art sets, sports gear, gift vouchers or thoughtful books are just some of the items that go down well.

Here’s how you can help this week:

• Drop off a new toy or gift (or “nearly new” in excellent condition) at one of our donation points in Reading and the surrounding towns.

 

• If you can’t drop off a physical gift, please consider donating online via our GoFundMe campaign so we can purchase suitable items for ages and genders that are currently under-represented.

 

• Schools, workplaces or clubs: please consider organising a mini-collection this week, adding a donation box to the front of your premises. Reading Family Aid are happy to collect any larger donations if you are unable to reach the local collection points - you might inspire others like Kelvin to turn spare change into Christmas smiles.

• For a list of suggested items to donate visit:

https://www.readingfamilyaid.org/what-to-donate.html

We’ll continue to highlight weekly stories from donors and recipients, to show how your support makes a real difference in local lives. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far - and to those planning to get involved this week.

Together, we can ensure no child in our community wakes up without a gift this Christmas. Every donation, big or small, helps make the season brighter for local families in need.

THANK YOU 

​Our Toys and Teens Appeal 2025 is now in its second week – and the response has already been incredible. But with thousands of local children still in need, we need to keep the gift donations coming.
 
This year, the appeal aims to bring Christmas magic to more than 2,500 disadvantaged children across Reading and the surrounding areas. Volunteers are busy collecting new and nearly new toys from over 30 donation points, ready to be delivered to families before Christmas Day.
 
Wendy Howell, a long-time volunteer and former Chair of Reading Family Aid, reflected on why the appeal remains so vital after more than two decades of involvement:
 
“I have been involved with the charity for over 25 years. Originally volunteering at the Toy Appeal before joining the committee, I have been involved in outings, fundraising and been the Chair on two occasions. But the best part for me is the Toy Appeal. I have seen many changes over the years. The quality and amount of toys and games donated has increased. Our publicity has generated many people and companies donating to us both in terms of time as volunteers or financially. But by far the biggest change is that there are more children than ever out there who need our support.”
 
Wendy recalled powerful moments that have stayed with her throughout her time volunteering:
 
“On one occasion I had to deliver a sack of toys to a family who slipped through the net of our Toy Appeal. The house was quite bare and the mum broke down in tears thanking us. She had thought her children wouldn’t get any toys that year. On another occasion, a health visitor came to collect items for a teenage girl. This time I broke down as she shared the fact that the child had no bedding, was dirty and needed toiletries. All of this is why I continue to volunteer and therefore I urge you to do anything you can to help us.”
 
Twenty-five years ago, Reading Family Aid supported around 400 children through the Toy Appeal. This year, that number has risen more than sixfold – a clear sign that the need for support is greater than ever.
 
We are especially in need of gifts suitable for teenagers aged 13 and over, as this group often receives the fewest donations. Items such as toiletries, sports accessories, books, vouchers, and age-appropriate games are especially appreciated.
 
To help make a difference, you can:

• Donate new or nearly new toys and gifts at one of the 30+ donation points.
• Give to the online fundraising page, which helps us to purchase presents for age groups that receive fewer donations.
• Buy gifts from our Amazon Wishlist and have them sent directly to us.

 
For a list of what to donate visit: https://www.readingfamilyaid.org/what-to-donate.html
 
Together, we can ensure no child in our community wakes up without a gift this Christmas. Every donation, big or small, helps make the season brighter for local families in need.
 
THANK YOU

Jill, a Parish Nurse at Reading Gateway, has been involved in the Toys and Teens Appeal for the past five years. She said: “The appeal means so much to us. It is truly amazing to see the joy it brings to children who might otherwise receive very little. Parents often express deep gratitude, saying how the support helps relieve the enormous stress of what should be a happy time. Without this appeal, many would find it unbearable not being able to provide even a small gift for their children. To be able to lift that burden and bring smiles to families is a real privilege.

One family who had been dreading Christmas were able, through the appeal, to wrap toys that were just right for their children. For the first time ever, there was a sack of presents under their Christmas tree. The parents were overwhelmed with relief and joy, and the children experienced a Christmas they had never known before. Moments like this show just how powerful the appeal can be”.

Reading Mayor Councillor Dr Alice Mpofu-Coles officially launched this year’s appeal today. She said, “There’s a lot of hidden poverty in Reading. This charity is very important in our town. It donates all sorts of toys to children during Christmas who need it, and it alleviates the stresses from families who can’t afford toys. We need your donations, we need families to be supported, this is a crucial charity in doing that as we go into Christmas. Please support the appeal by donating gifts at any of the donation points in Reading. Thank you.”

While all donations are welcome, the charity is making a heartfelt plea for new presents suitable for teenagers aged 13 and over - the age group most often forgotten during the holidays.

“Every year we see how much these gifts mean to families who are struggling,” said a spokesperson for Reading Family Aid. “We’re expecting to help more children than ever this year, and we particularly need gifts for teenagers. A thoughtful present can make a young person feel seen and valued at a time that can be especially difficult.”

Please see our list of gift ideas for children in the 13-16 age group, for guidance on what to donate.

To support the campaign you can donate a gift to any of our drop off points.

If you cannot donate a gift the campaign also has an online GoFundMe page where you can make a financial donation. This will help us to buy presents for age groups that receive less donations each year.

Another easy way to donate is by purchasing from our Amazon Wishlist. We have chosen a list of items we know will be needed for older children - buying anything from this list will be a great help to ensure we have a good range of gifts for teenagers.

Together, we can make Christmas magical for every child in our community.

Thank you 

Below: Emily, David and Brenden making the donation.

​George was inspired to support Reading Family Aid after learning about our work helping disadvantaged children and families across the Reading area. From Christmas toy distributions to fun family outings, our charity brings joy to those who need it most - and George is determined to help us continue that mission.  We’re proud to have George running for us and grateful for his passion, energy, and commitment. You can read his story and support his fundraising efforts here:
https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/george-kelleher