Funeral home appeals for toys to help struggling families this Christmas

Those able to, are being asked by Co-op Funeralcare to donate new or good quality second-hand toys, books, crafts, and games.

These will then be distributed by Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church.

The funeral home has started the collection early this year to ensure that all donations are sanitised and safe before being passed on to the recipients in time for Christmas.

Co-op Funeralcare Eastbourne has successfully run the appeal for many years.

Helen Harrison, funeral arranger at the Eastbourne branch, said: “We’ve had brilliant responses from families over the years.

“This year will be even more difficult for those who have faced redundancies or cuts in the wake of Covid-19, so we hope that this appeal will bring some joy to those who might be struggling financially.

“We gift the items as is, so that families can wrap and arrange the presents themselves, which we think helps them retain a bit of independence during the festive season.”

“We are already accepting gifts from community and our clients.

“We hope generous locals will donate to the cause, as it would be brilliant to help as many local families as possible.

“We’d love to receive gifts for all age groups, as we don’t want the older children in our community to miss out on this initiative. So, if people could pop something extra in their basket to donate, even if only small, we would really appreciate it.”

In order to safely prepare and clean the gifts for donation before Christmas, the funeral home asks for all donations to be received by December 11.

People hoping to contribute should liaise with the funeral home, via a phone call, to organise a safe doorstep drop-off time to make sure social distancing guidelines are adhered to at all times.

To arrange a donation, contributors can call 01323 734482 or email [email protected].