Children who may miss out on presents this Christmas could be in line for gifts and toys thanks to an appeal set up by Salford Council.
Sam Barry, a refuse collector and Unison convener, is asking householders to leave presents next to their bins on the day they are normally collected.
He told the Salford City Council website: “We have over 110,000 households on our weekly rounds so if even half of them bought just one extra, small present to donate to this appeal it would make such a difference to so many struggling families.”
Salford bin crews will be collecting donated items on their normal collection route between Tuesday the 3rd and Friday the 6th December. The team will be dressed in red hi-vis and Santa hats during the appeal, which is being sponsored by Unison, GMB and Unite.
Donations can also be made by dropping them off at Salford City UNISON’s branch office, 443-445 Chorley Road, Swinton, M27 9LQ or Salford Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton between 9am to 5pm on the same dates.
Salford Council website spoke to Tony Clayson, President of Rotary in Worsley, who said: “Rotary is committed to doing all it can for the benefit of our community and when we saw the appeal last year we thought it was a brilliant idea.
“Following on from the success of our recent Wrap Up Salford coat donation project we are delighted to support our big-hearted Salford bin men in spreading Christmas cheer by helping to sort and distribute donated gifts to children who might otherwise miss out.”
Check out this short video from last years collection.
Organisers are appealing for new and unwrapped items which will be gifted to Salford-based charities that work with children, as well as Salford City Council’s Next Step Service for young care leavers aged 16 to 25. Ideas include dolls, teddies, selection boxes, books and games.
The appeal had a massive response last year, collecting over 5,000 items with a value of £25,000 and the council are hoping for an even bigger collection this year.
Groups and organisations can also apply to donate in bulk by using this link
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