Veteran's toy garden opens to raise charity funds

Most of the toys were donated to Paul Ivison after he put out an appeal on social media

A disabled armed forces veteran has put together a display of more than 600 toys in his front garden to raise money for charity and thank his community.

Paul Ivison, 64, from Harrogate, is selling the donated toys, which include action figures, cars and dinosaurs, in aid of Harrogate Easier Living Project and Andy's Man Club.

The former Royal Navy serviceman started the annual event four years ago to improve his mental health.

He hopes the display will "raise a smile" among people who have supported him since the pandemic.

His neighbours recently gave him logs to heat his home when he fell into arrears during the winter.

The toys were donated following a social media appeal, and Mr Ivison believes this year's total is the largest yet. They will be sold to families who visit the garden.

Mr Ivison said: "Each year the garden has got bigger and better and we've got more people coming round, which is fantastic."

The garden has taken around four months for Mr Ivison to prepare, as he paints every item to match a theme - which this year is Pride.

He added: "For me, spending all that time outside setting up the garden really helps my PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)."

Royal Navy veteran Paul Ivison was inspired to start the toy garden to improve his mental health and fundraise for charities that had helped him

He hopes to raise at least £300 for each of his chosen charities.

"I relied on Harrogate Easier Living Project heavily during Covid, while Andy's Man Club, which has recently opened a branch in Harrogate that I attend, is really important to me because I want the garden to encourage people to talk about men's mental health," said Mr Ivison.

"Pride is a really important issue for me, especially this year as it's 50 years since the start of Pride."

The toy garden can be found on the corner of Mayfield Grove and Mayfield Crescent in Harrogate. Visitors can drop in 10:00 to 21:00 BST every day except Wednesday and Saturday.

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There are around 250 dinosaurs in the toy collection