Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens appeal is well underway, with gifts flooding into donation points located all over Reading.

The support the annual appeal receives is overwhelming, with many businesses and organisations stepping up to raise money and buy gifts for children who may otherwise go without.

Berkshire Freemasons have been contributing to the appeal since 2015.

“We wanted to make sure that children woke up with at least one toy to open on Christmas morning,” said Mark Heppelthwaite, a Masons member of 14 years.

The Berkshire Freemasons are given a list of ages and genders to buy for and will then personally shop for the hundreds of toys and gifts they donate.

“One child requested a hairbrush,” Mark said. “When you see someone is requesting something like that, it really makes you wonder what is going on.” All the Masons’ funds are raised via raffles, charity dinners and members’ generosity.

Reading’s schools are also doing some fantastic work. The Lower Sixth Form at Leighton Park School have organised a school-wide collection. Small donation boxes have been scattered across the school, which will then be sorted into a giant box at the end of the appeal by Rosanna Collis and her team.

The Heights Primary School in Caversham are doing a great job too, with this being the fourth year they have taken part. The whole school have already collected nine black bin bags of toys, with Year 4 boys, Brooke and Jonah, donating their own toys to the appeal. Parent, Michele Pattison says “It’s a good reminder for the kids at a time of year when we all have so much that others in our community are in need.”

So far, 216 families and 425 children have requested Christmas presents from the Toys & Teens appeal this year.

Reading Family Aid would like to thank everyone for getting involved and urge the community to consider how they too can become a part of the Toys & Teens appeal.

Every gift donated will make a difference, and help to put a smile on the face of a child this Christmas.

Visit: readingfamilyaid.org for more.

Full list of donation points:

  • l Sainsbury’s, Bath Road, RG31 1SA. Mon-Sat: 7am -10pm. Sun: 10am - 4pm
  • l Caversham Homecraft, Church Road, RG4 8AU. Mon-Sat: 9am -5pm.
  • l Caversham Library, Church Road, RG4 8AU. Mon & Wed: Closed, Tues & Fri: 9am- 5pm, Thurs: 1pm -7pm, Sat: 10am-3pm.
  • l New Bridge Nursery Montague Street, RG4 5AU. Mon-Fri: 8am-4pm.
  • l Crescent Centre, Warbler Drive, Earley, RG6 4HB - Mon-Thurs: 8.30am-6pm, Fri: 8.30am - 3.30pm.
  • l Hillside Primary School, Rushey Way, RG6 4HQ. Mon-Friday 9am-3pm.
  • l Lower Earley Library Chalfont Close, RG6 5HZ. Mon and Fri: 9.30am-5pm, Tue and Thurs: 9.30am-7pm, Sat: 9.30am-4pm.
  • l Purley Farmers’ Market, The Barn, Beech Road, RG8 8DS. Saturday, November 10 only.
  • l Big Yellow Storage, Rose Kiln Lane, RG2 0JZ. Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm, Sat: 9am - 6pm, Sun: 10am - 4pm.
  • l Southcote Children’s Centre, Coronation Square Southcote, RG30 3QP. Mon-Thurs: 9-5pm, Fri: 9-4.30pm.
  • l Southcote Library, RG30 3BA. Tue & Thurs: 9am-12pm & 1-4pm, Fri: 9am-12pm, Sat: 10am-1pm.
  • l Spencers Wood Library, Basingstoke Road, RG6 7HS. Mon: 2.30pm–7pm, Tue: 2.30pm-5pm, Thurs: 10am-12.30pm & 2.30pm-5pm, Sat: 10am- 12.30pm.
  • l Norcot Early Years Centre, Lyndhurst Rd, RG30 6UB. Mon-Fri: 8.30am-4pm.
  • l Co-op Tilehurst, School Road, RG31 5AR. Mon-Sat: 7am -10pm, Sun: 10am-4pm.
  • l Tilehurst Library, School Road, RG31 6AS. Mon & Fri: 9am - 5pm, Tue: 9-11, Thurs: 9am-7pm. Sat: 9.30-4pm.
  • l Birch Copse Primary School, Wittenham Avenue, RG31 5LN. Mon-Fri: 9.15am-2.45pm.
  • l Reading Voluntary Action, 3rd Floor, Reading Central Library, RG1 3BQ. Mon-Fri: 10am-4pm.
  • l Sainsbury’s, Friar Street, RG1 1DX. Mon-Sat: 7am-9pm, Sun 11am-5pm.
  • l Civic Centre, Bridge Street, RG1 2LU. Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm.
  • l The Reading Chronicle, RG1 2LU. Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm.
  • l Reading Farmers’ Market, Great Knollys Street, RG1 7HD. Sat: 8.30am-12 noon on November 17 and December 1 only.
  • l World Shop, London Street, RG1 4PS. Mon-Fri: 9.30am-6pm.
  • l Interserve, Ruscombe Park, Twyford RG10 9JU. Mon-Fri: 8.30am-5pm.
  • l Battle Library, Oxford Road, RG30 1EE. Tue: 1-7pm, Thurs 9am-5pm, Fri 9-12, Sat: 10am-3pm.
  • l Winnersh Primary, Greenwood Grove, RG41 5LH. Mon-Fri: 10am-2pm.
  • l Willow Bank Junior School, Duffield Road, RG5 4RW. Mon-Fri: 8.30am-4.30pm.
  • l Woodley Library, Headley Road, RG5 4JA. Mon: 9am-1pm, Tue, Wed, Fri: 9am-5pm, Thurs: 9am-7pm. Sat: 9.30am-4pm. Sun: 10.30am-4pm.
  • l The Oakwood Centre, Headley Road, RG5 4JZ. Mon-Sat: 9am-5pm.