With children back to school this month, there will be thousands of pre-loved toys that children may have outgrown during the summer holidays; and with 38 per cent* of children in the capital living in relative poverty, this initiative is encouraging Londoners to dig deep and help old toys find a new home with the children who need them most. 

FREE weekly collections around London have been set up for every Wednesday in September until 29th of the month, as well as having designated drop-off points at four branches of Attic Self Storage in Harrow, Bow, Marylebone and Kings Cross.  

Attic will donate all items to children’s charity The Toy Project, based in Archway, North London, which has recently attracted donations from the likes of This Morning presenter Rochelle Humes and Celebrity TV Chef Gok Wan. Founded by Jane Garfield in 2013, the charity has played a vital role in helping local families get the support they need during the pandemic. Over the past year, The Toy Project delivered toys to hospital wards, children of NHS workers, children with families shielding at home and families living in hostels. The charity also continues to raise money and send donations further afield, including India, Africa and the Caribbean, and has already impacted the lives of so many children.

CEO of Attic Self Storage Frederic de Ryckman de Betz comments: “We are humbled to be teaming up with The Toy Project to launch our ‘Hand Me Downs’ campaign encouraging Londoners to help thousands of less fortunate children around the UK. London has the highest rate of child poverty in any UK region, and needless to say, the repercussions of the pandemic have made life even more difficult for struggling parents. We wanted to create an initiative to make it as easy as possible for families to donate locally and make a difference. We have also pledged to offer The Toy Project free self-storage to store all of the  donations.”

Attic and The Toy Project are accepting all toy donations with the exception of cuddly toys, board games and toy guns. Lego, PlayMobil, Barbie dolls and fancy dress clothes are on the most wanted list.   

Jane Garfield, Founder of The Toy Project comments: “ The Toy Project is grateful to all the children and parents that look after their toys and donate them to us so that they can be loved again by someone else. For many children toys are something they can only see on tv and in adverts, and to have their own would be a dream come true. Many children that we give toys to ask us how long they can keep them before they have to give them back. The look of happiness on their faces when they are told that they are theirs to keep ‘forever’ is wonderful to see.“

To book a collection service or find out more about the Hand Me Downs initiative and how to donate, please visit www.atticstorage.co.uk/blog/hand-me-down-campaign