News release
1 November 2023
Christmas Toy Appeal for disadvantaged children in Halton gets £4k boost
A popular local charity toy drive supporting hundreds of children from some of Halton’s most deprived areas has received a significant kick-start with a donation of brand-new toys worth £4,000.
Merseyflow has joined forces with Merseylink (the consortium responsible for the design, construction, financing, and operation of the Mersey Gateway Project assets) to donate £4,000 of toys and gifts as part of Halton Children’s Centres Christmas Toy Appeal.
Merseyflow is also encouraging its staff and customers to use its Walk-in Centre in Manor Park in Runcorn as a drop-off point for toys.
The toys need to be new and unopened and would need to be dropped off at merseyflow’s Walk-in Centre by Monday 11th December before 7pm at the latest. The team is looking for a range of gifts and toys to appeal in particular to children aged 0-5 years old, as that is the focus of this year’s appeal. Gifts for all children up to the age of 18 can also be donated.
Merseyflow’s staff are already adding to that by donating toys and Christmas presents to support the good cause.
This is the fifth year that merseyflow has supported Halton Children’s Centres over the festive season, collecting hundreds of donations to help brighten Christmas for those in need.
Helen Williams, Marketing Manager at merseyflow, said: “Last year we were blown away by our wonderful staff and customers and were able to donate over 50 sacks of toys and gifts to local children in need.
“We’re really hoping to beat that this year and would like to see as many people as possible get involved in this excellent cause. Supporting the local community in Halton and the surrounding areas is very important to us, which is why we wanted to give the appeal a jump start with a donation of our own to ensure every child in Halton has something to open on Christmas morning.”
Hugh O’Connor, General Manager of the Merseylink Consortium, said: “We’re happy to be able to contribute again to this wonderful cause and help kickstart the appeal with merseyflow. We’d like to encourage everyone to get involved, no matter how big or small the donation, it will all help to give disadvantaged children the Christmas they deserve.”
Denise Caldwell, Early Help Officer at Runcorn Children’s Centres, said: “We’d like to give special thanks to merseyflow and Merseylink for their generous donations. Every toy and gift donated is greatly appreciated and will be given to local children here in Halton this Christmas.”
The merseyflow walk-in-centre is open Monday to Friday 9am-7pm and on Sunday from 9am-6pm. The address is 9 Howard Court, Manor Park, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 1SJ