Why Tesco trolleys across Cornwall are filling up with toys

A red trolley by the tills. A few new toys dropped in after the weekly shop. And somewhere down the line, a child opens a present they might never have had.

That is the thinking behind Gift a Toy this Christmas, the annual toy collection now running in Tesco stores across the UK, with shoppers in Cornwall able to take part at their local store.

Customers are being asked to buy a new toy in store and leave it, unwrapped, at the donation point. Local charities and community groups then hand the toys out to children who may otherwise go without at Christmas.

How the toy collection works

The collection started on Monday 9 November and runs until Sunday 20 December in large and selected Express Tesco stores.

More than 800 large Tesco stores have a dedicated donation point. This is also the first year the collection has been expanded to large Express stores.

Only new, unwrapped toys bought in store can be donated.

It is worth checking with your local store before you go, though. Some donation points may close before 20 December if the charity or group they are supporting has asked for the toys earlier so it can get them out to families in time.

You can find your nearest branch, along with its address and opening hours, using the Tesco store locator.

📷Toys donated through Tesco's Gift a Toy this Christmas collection

Where the toys go

Each store’s toys go to a local charity or community group picked by the colleagues who work there, based on connections built up through the store’s support for its community.

Among the organisations named by Tesco are Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice, which provides care for children with life limiting conditions, Amelia’s Rainbow, which gives grants for mobility equipment to families of disabled children, and Caister Community Larder, which provides food for local families in need.

A wide range of children’s hospital wards, local foodbanks and the Salvation Army are also set to benefit.

What Tesco says

Claire De Silva, Tesco Head of Communities, said: “Throughout the year our stores play a huge role in supporting their local communities. The annual toy donation campaign is a wonderful way to make a difference at Christmas and that’s all down to the hard work and generosity of our customers and colleagues.”

She added: “It’s great to see stores building on their local connections to support charities making a difference locally to ensure that every child experiences the magic of Christmas.”

Last Christmas, Tesco customers donated more than 100,000 toys.

Fruit, veg and blue tokens

The toy collection sits alongside Tesco’s Free Fruit and Veg for Schools programme, which has already seen 20 million portions of fruit and veg donated from local stores.

Over the next year, the programme aims to reach more than 347,000 children in over 1,000 schools.

Schools and children’s groups can also benefit from the Fruit & Veg Grants blue token scheme, where shoppers vote in store to decide which community groups are awarded funding.

📷A Gift a Toy this Christmas donation point in a Tesco store