Lambeth Christmas Present Project
What is the Lambeth Christmas Present Project?
We are a group of Lambeth residents, councillors and council staff who want to make sure as many kids in the borough get Christmas presents this December.
For many families, every Christmas is a time of financial strain – but this year, Covid-19 has made this all the more difficult. Many parents may have lost their jobs or seen their hours or income reduced through 2020 – so for lots of children in our communities this means Christmas won’t include presents under the tree or a proper Christmas dinner.
Every child deserves toys and happiness this Christmas, and that is why we are asking for your help.
We are collecting toys, either good quality second-hand toys that you can donate that perhaps your children have outgrown, as well as new toys, books, and gifts. We will be wrapping them up and working with Lambeth’s great team of social workers and community activists to make sure they get to as many children as possible.
How can I help?
There are loads of ways to get involved:
• Donating good quality second-hand toys, books, or gifts
• Buying a toy from local Lambeth toyshop Wigwam
• Volunteering your time to sort, clean and wrap up presents
• By referring a neighbour or friend in need so that we can make sure their family has gifts under the tree this year
• By spreading the word on Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp
What can I donate?
We are accepting donations of good quality second-hand toys, gifts, and books. Please make sure that any donations are:
• Good quality, clean, not damaged and with no missing parts
• Suitable for ages 1-16 years old
• Safe – nothing dangerous or violent
If you don’t have toys at home, you can also donate in one of the following ways:
• Buy a toy from Wigwam, a local Lambeth toyshop who have offered 10% off any toys donated. Choose gifts on wigwamfamily.co.uk or by calling 02086764815 – let them know it is for the Lambeth Christmas Present Project and they will store the toy for collection by our team
• Donate wrapping paper, gift tags or Sellotape
• Donate your time and help us to clean, sort and wrap the gifts
Where?
Bring gifts to any of Lambeth’s libraries. If you are bringing donations, please wear a face covering and observe social distancing to keep yourself and our volunteers safe.
• Monday - Saturday 11-4pm
Brixton, Carnegie, Clapham, Durning, Minet, South Lambeth, Streatham and West Norwood libraries
• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 11-4pm
Upper Norwood Library Hub
• Monday - Friday 10.30-12.30 and 1-3pm
Waterloo Library
What would volunteering entail?
We need volunteers for several different roles.
Sorting and wrapping
We will need to clean donations – for safety during Covid-19 and so that gifts arrive sparkling and ready to be played with. We then need to check their quality, so that anything damaged or scruffy can be recycled, and sorted by age appropriateness. Once the toys are clean and ready to go, we will need to wrap them in festive paper and label them. Bring your best wrapping skills and creativity!
Drivers
We may need help from drivers to take gifts from the donation points to where they will be distributed. To do this role, you will need a valid driving license and access to a vehicle.
Please note – volunteers should be over 16 or accompanied by an adult. Volunteers are asked to observe strict social distancing and wear face coverings. We will operate a shift system so that we don’t have too many people sharing small or indoors spaces.