Over 500 toys, games and other gifts have been donated to Bicester’s ‘Christmas toy shop’ already this year.

Hosted at the Bicester Foodbank premises in Wesley Lane, the ‘shop’ provides gifts for children where families are struggling to afford Christmas presents.

Parents who are facing difficulty at this time can choose items for their children from a full range of stock, in exchange for vouchers given out by various agencies and institutions locally – foodbank customers will receive them too.

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Jane Clements, from St Edburg’s Church, who runs the Christmas shop annually as a volunteer, said: “The shop will operate on certain days between now and Christmas, at times shown on each voucher.

“Volunteers help run the shop, which also has a collection of stocking fillers, wrapping paper and other seasonal goodies.

“It is all thanks to the generous support of churches, running clubs and kind individuals, as well as Bicester businesses such as The Works and Bicester Print, which help to ensure this small measure of festive cheer.

“Last year we gave out over 400 presents, but are expecting the need to be greater this year.”

Bicester Foodbank is a project founded by local churches and community groups, working together towards stopping hunger in their local area.

The foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust’s network of 428 foodbanks, working to tackle food poverty and hunger across the UK.

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

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