ELBA’s Toy Appeal: 2,200+ toys donated to Islington children
The count is in: ELBA’s 2020 Toy Appeal was the biggest ever, with over 22,000 toys donated – that’s more than double the previous record. From that amazing total, over 2,200 toys went to Islington organisations who work with local families.
The Toy Appeal has been running for almost 30 years and asks employees from the City, Canary Wharf and Islington to donate toys to vulnerable children in east London and Islington. The generosity of the 2020 appeal mirrored the outpouring of community action in a year that was tough for everybody, especially those who were already struggling.
One parent said:
“With so little happening for young children due to the pandemic I was feeling isolated and concerned my child was missing out on so much. It what a lovely surprise to be invited to collect a gift. When we arrived, we were made to feel special and given a bag of goodies which were great to keep us busy over the long closure period.”
BIG Alliance would like to extend a special thanks to our business partner network who generously donated to the appeal:
Thank you also to the 13 Islington organisations who distributed the toys to families and children in their communities:
A huge thank you to the Business Design Centre for delivering the first batch of toys to Brickworks Community Centre which acted as the Islington collection hub. This saved our community partners over 15 hours of time, allowing them to focus on supporting their beneficiaries in the best way possible as Christmas.
If you’d like to be involved in a future Toy Appeal contact us.