Our Toys and Teens Appeal 2025, has now reached its fourth week, and the spirit of giving continues to shine across our community.

But as heartwarming as the generosity has been, the need has never been greater. Local schools, social workers, and youth organisations continue to refer families struggling to make ends meet, and it’s expected that around 2,500 children aged 0–16 will rely on the appeal for a gift this Christmas. Without it, many of these children would face waking up on Christmas morning with nothing.

Recent data paints a stark picture: according to government figures, over 1 in 6 of children in Reading live below the poverty line. The cost-of-living crisis has hit families hard, with food, rent and utilities swallowing up already-stretched budgets, leaving little room for festive joy. Child poverty in West Berkshire is on the increase - despite the district coming out in recent statistics as one of the wealthiest areas of the country. 11 per cent of children under the age of 16 were living in poverty in 2023/24, which is 3,398 children. This highlights why initiatives like Reading Family Aid’s appeal remain vital.

This year, volunteers are working tirelessly to sort and distribute toys from over 30 donation points across Reading and surrounding towns. From make up sets and LEGO to books and footballs, every contribution helps spread a little hope where it’s needed most.

Among the appeal’s long-standing supporters is Roc Search, global recruitment specialists, who for the eighth consecutive year are rallying their staff and partners to collect toys and gifts.

“For the eighth year running, we’re 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. Our Roc Stars are once again collecting toys and gifts 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.”
— Caitlin O’Neill, Roc Search

This week, we are urging donors to remember older children - especially teenagers aged 13–16, who often get overlooked. Gifts like sports gear, art sets, skincare items, gift vouchers or books can make a world of difference.

How You Can Help

• Donate a new or nearly-new toy (in excellent condition) at one of the many local collection points.
• Make an online donation so volunteers can buy gifts for under-represented age groups: GoFundMe Appeal
• Organise a mini-collection at your school, office, or club. Reading Family Aid can collect larger donations if needed - helping spread the joy even further.
• For inspiration on what to donate, visit What to Donate.

Every toy, every contribution, and every act of kindness helps transform Christmas morning for a child who might otherwise go without.

Thank you for helping Reading Family Aid make Christmas magical for local families once again.

Our Toys and Teens Appeal 2025 has now reached its third week. We’re heartened by the generosity of our community – but we also face an urgent reminder that the need remains greater than ever.
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With referrals continuing to arrive from local schools, social workers and youth organisations, the charity expects that around 2,500 children aged 0–16 will be in need of a gift this Christmas. Due to the levels of poverty in Reading and the surrounding areas, these children may otherwise receive no gift at all.

For this year’s toy appeal volunteers are hard at work collecting and sorting new and nearly new toys from over 30 local donation points, ready to be distributed to families before Christmas Day.

One of the many generous supporters this year is local pensioner Kelvin Chaplin, who has lived in Reading for most of his life. Earlier this week he kindly donated a car boot full of brand-new toys to the appeal. 

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