THE KINDNESS of strangers has helped put smiles on the faces of poorly children this Christmas – thanks to a Rugby mum-and-daughter team who collected unwanted toys for kids in hospital.
Holli Moon put a request on Facebook for old toys, prompted by her mum Lynn Tweedie whose friend volunteers at the children’s cancer ward at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW).
Holli was only expecting to collect a couple of bags to take round to her mum’s house.
But thanks to an outstanding response from Rugbeians, she was inundated with an entire roomful of toys and games – including stand-up keyboards, a toy kitchenette, bouncers, walkers, pianos, dollhouses, shopping trolleys, hundreds of books and Disney merchandise.
And the haul was so big that it took up an entire room in her house during the run-up to Christmas – a room she had to keep her inquisitive seven-month old son away from!
She said: “The response has been absolutely overwhelming.
“I had to politely start declining donations because people just weren’t stopping with their offers!
“It just started off as an idea to collect a couple of bags of toys to whizz over to my mum’s. And now it’s turned into a massive convoy operation.”
She is thinking about reviving her campaign now Christmas is over and unwanted toys are piling up in local housholds.
“I collected donations from maybe 18-20 houses, and had five or six people deliver to me. It just didn’t seem to slow down!
“We’ve been in touch with a nurse at Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital and she took some of the toys too, because there was just too much.
“It’s been really nice, and it’s lovely to know I’m doing something for people and that everyone has trusted me with their donations.
“I’d like to thank the people of Rugby for the level of kindness and charity they have shown.”
