Thousands of gifts donated for Birmingham Christmas toy appeal

Bags of toys, Christmas gifts and books were collected at a donation centre at Edgbaston Cricket Stadium.

Thousands of Christmas toys and gifts have been donated to children across Birmingham.

More than 11,000 toys and gifts and more than 4,000 books were donated by members of the public at a donation centre at Edgbaston Cricket Stadium.

The presents were collected as part of an annual toy appeal by local charity, Thrive Together.

"This simple gift of a toy makes so much difference to families," said Louise White, from the charity.

She said a lot of people in the region were "struggling" and wondering how to afford their bills their next year.

Louise White, development worker, said the toys would make "so much difference" to families in need

"Charities themselves or the groups have got a higher demand of work to do, request for food vouchers or fuel vouchers - just sort of despair," she explained.

"This isn't about giving families five toys per child, this is like one child, one toy," she said.

"Just imagine the difference that makes, as if not there's no toys for that child.

"Being able to give a child a gift. is just more than what any of us can imagine."

The donations were collected as part of charity Thrive Together's Toys4Birmingham appeal

Family Action, a national charity, have also been running an annual Christmas toy appeal for several years.

Lisa Handley, assistant director, said Christmas was a "really challenging" time and that some families were "anxious" that this year's festivities could be a disappointment.

"This year, families have been telling us how Christmas is even harder this year, one in seven parents won't be able to buy presents for their children because they're worried about money," she said.

"People are still trying to get out of debt from last Christmas," she added.

Over 10,000 toys and gifts have been donated by members of the public