Overflowing toy boxes, piles of once-favoured playthings cluttering up the room - it's a scene most parents can relate to. In fact while the average British family has some 80 toys, new research has shown that only one third are played with on a regular basis. But now you can give those pre-loved items a new home and help some of the UK's most disadvantaged children at the same time.
Argos has teamed up with Barnado's to set up a new campaign collecting unwanted toys and passing them on to less fortunate youngsters.
From Wednesday, October 17, donation stations will be in operation at around 740 Argos stores and 500 Barnado's stores where members of the public can donate old toys in exchange for a £5 voucher that can be put towards some new ones. Redeemable in Argos until December 24, the vouchers will come in handy for Christmas. And by taking part you will not only be de-cluttering your home but helping a truly worthy cause.
In contrast, there are 3.6 million children living below the poverty line in the UK, which translates as almost a third of all children. So why not do your bit to help this worthwhile cause, and start that clear-out!
Among those supporting the initiative is celebrity mum Danielle Lineker, who this week launched the event in London where she met with children from Northlands Park Children's Centre. "I'm really proud to be supporting the Argos Toy Exchange," she said. "Argos is a destination for most UK mums, including myself, at Christmas and this initiative allows you to bring not only a smile to your children's faces this year, but many more who need help from Barnado's services across the UK."All we're asking is for people to clear out their toy boxes and bring any unwanted toys into Argos so they can donate them to a good cause. "Research by the catalogue giant has shown that each year 13 million toys end up in the dustbin and landfill sites, many of which are in good conditions and could be given a new home.