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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Let your unsuitable gifts help a child

This news post is about 6 years old
 

A new survey has revealed that more than 60 million unwanted presents are given every year

If Santa didn’t quite get it right this year, delivering the wrong size jumper or multiple copies of the same DVD boxset, don’t hoard your unsuitable presents – deliver them to Barnardo’s Scotland’s gift at your nearest Barnardo’s Scotland shop.

It can be difficult to buy presents for friends and family and there are times when gifts are wonderful thoughts – but just not right.

So, with a new survey revealing that more than 60 million unwanted presents are given every year, at a cost of £380 million, leading children’s charity Barnardo’s Scotland is urging people to donate the presents which aren’t quite their cup of tea.

Simply donate those leather-look leggings or cartoon slippers to the charity’s gift amnesty in your local store.

You’ll be safe in the knowledge that you are helping children and young people support by the charity across Scotland.

The value of those unsuitable gifts really does add up and could provide vital support for the hundreds of thousands of children Barnardo’s Scotland helps every year.

An £18 cookbook could pay for three young carers to enjoy an afternoon of respite from their caring duties, giving them the chance to relax and meet other children.

That £20 DVD boxset you’ve already got could help to pay for an outreach worker for a vulnerable child.

The £50 too-big jumper could help pay for a senior specialist to spend an hour working one-to-one with a child to help them recover from sexual exploitation.

£180 worth of unsuitable console games could help cover monthly travel card costs for nine children, so they can afford to come to Barnardo’s to see their child sexual exploitation specialist.

The £250 television that doesn’t fit on your television stand could help buy clothing and baby essentials for a care leaver with a new born baby.

Barnardo’s Scotland’s director Martin Crewe said: “It can be difficult to buy the perfect present for a family member or friend.

“So, if you unwrap something that doesn’t quite fit or just isn’t right for you, do something special and donate the gift to your nearest Barnardo’s Scotland shop. This will help raise vital funds so we can continue to support hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable children across Scotland.”