Staff at UKTram and LRSSB have joined forces in the lead up to Christmas to support Toys4Bham, a city-wide Christmas Toy Drive appeal which provides gifts for vulnerable children and young people across Birmingham.
Combined the two organisations managed to raise £925, a sum far beyond expectations and once that will now bring joy to families facing hardship this winter. This impressive amount has enabled a staggering 304 presents to be donated to the appeal.
Dan Hill, UKTram’s Knowledge Manager, said: “I never expected us to raise this much, and it’s going to go towards making a lot of kids happy this Christmas. This achievement truly shows what we can do when we pull together as a team.”
The initiative saw staff invited to donate the cost of a Secret Santa gift to the Toy Drive instead. The donations collected went directly towards purchasing new toys and gifts to be distributed to children and young people from across Birmingham in the lead-up to Christmas.
Toys4Bham is a partnership led by Thrive Together Birmingham, working alongside the Warwickshire Cricket Foundation, Birmingham Play Care Network and the Birmingham Mail. It aims to support families who are experiencing financial hardship, responding directly to requests from Birmingham’s Children’s Centres. Last year they collected over 14,000 new toys and this year they hope to get even more toys that can presented to children across the area.