The Amazon Wishlist is now closed, JustGiving Donations will be open until December 24th,
any monetary donations received after the December 8th 2020 will be carried forward to the next CVS Christmas Toy Appeal.

CVS Christmas Toy Appeal 2020

Not every child has a chimney, help Santa find those without #ThisWaySanta

The CVS Christmas Toy Appeal 2020 has now officially concluded. Thank you to everyone who supported the appeal, raised awareness and donated. In a year where the appeal was #NeverMoreNeeded we had a tremendous response. The results of what we all achieved this year will be published once the donations have been distributed to the local beneficiary charities and family services.

We at CVS Cheshire East are delighted to be running our Christmas Toy Appeal this year. The pandemic that swept our communities, the lockdown and continuing social restrictions have had a tremendous impact on supported local children their families and the organisations that provide that support. There is no doubt that this year the appeal is #NeverMoreNeeded.

The appeal is run in aid of children supported by organisations in our community who are facing challenging times over the festive season, children who might otherwise go without at Christmas. In 2019 the appeal raised approx 2500 donations which were distributed to 20 local Cheshire East charitable organisations who provided them to the children they support and care for.

This year, as a result of the pandemic, we are anticipating a higher need for donations as more children and their families have come under the support and care of services run by local charities. Please pledge your support and help bring festive cheer to a lot more children that might otherwise go without this Christmas. From a donation to a simple retweet, all support is greatly appreciated and makes a fundamental difference.

Pledge to do one or more of these things:

Donate through the Toy Appeal's Amazon Wishlist
Make a monetary donation through JustGiving
Share the toy appeal's Amazon Wishlist with our staff and friends.
Share the toy appeal's JustGiving page with our staff and friends.
Encourage staff and friends to support CVS through AmazonSmile
Raise awareness of the appeal on social media through likes and shares #ThisWaySanta

Some of those supported are:

- ‘Children with have chaotic home lives with domestic violence and substance misuse a regular occurrence.’

- ‘Families whose loved ones are in hospice for end of life care.’
- ‘Children and young people who care for a member of their family at home, many come from families who are financially disadvantaged.’

How to Donate

To comply with covid secure practices in all areas of running the appeal, curb the ability for any further social restrictions impacting the appeal, and to better reach our supporters in these difficult times (supporters who may be working from home) the 2020 CVS Christmas Toy Appeal will be conducted completely online. The key change being, we won't be utilising physical Toy Appeal Donation Points, this is due to the current social restrictions and to minimise the chance of COVID-19 transmission as a result of conducting the appeal.

Amazon Wishlist Donations

Follow the CVS Christmas Toy Appeal Wishlist link and purchase a pre-selected gift from the list. Gifts have been pre-selected for the age group and gender categories needed for the appeal, but if you do find another item or deal that would make an excellent gift for the appeal, we'd be happy to receive it.

> CVS Christmas Toy Appeal Amazon Wishlist

Please note: You will need to enter our postal address for delivery:

CVS Cheshire East, Ashton House 1a Gatefield Street, Crewe CW1 2JP - OR use the 'Gatefield Street's Gift Registry Address'

Let us know what organisation you work for (if its a company supported donation) in the gift message box so we can show our appreciation.

This method of donation helps us in two ways, the first being it limits social contact making the appeal safer to conduct, and second, we'll be able to reflect the level of demand in what is pre-selected.

Monetary donations/fundraising Ideas

The CVS Christmas Toy Appeal accepts monetary donations. Monetary donations will be used to directly purchase toys and gifts on your or your organisation's behalf. Businesses and individuals who supported the appeal in previous years with cash donations found this to be an easier way of contributing.

This Years online donation platform is Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/CVSToyAppeal2020

To get you started we have already come up with a host of fun fundraising ideas you can do at home or at work, including one that might embarrass the boss! download here.

Other Ways to Support

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support a charity of your choice every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.co.uk on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping App for iOS and Android phones. When you shop AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as amazon.co.uk, with the added bonus that AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the purchase price to your selected charity.

Whether donating toward the appeal or shopping on Amazon for friends and family this Christmas, by activating AmazonSmile and selecting 'Community And Voluntary Services Cheshire East' you will be supporting the services we provide the local community including the CVS Christmas Toy Appeal.

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.co.uk on your web browser or activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone (found under ‘settings’ on your app). On your browser, you may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.co.uk to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile. When you’re using the app, always check for the “AmazonSmile” logo to ensure you’re activated for AmazonSmile.

AmazonSmile setup video guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyJ7HcreC7A

You can learn more about AmazonSmile Here.

Share the appeal on social media

Follow CVS on Facebook or Twitter or follow the hashtag #ThisWaySanta and like and share our posts about the appeal. Just by raising awareness with a simple retweet would go a long way in us garnering support and receiving donations.

Requesting an allocation for your organisation

If you work for an organisation that supports Cheshire East children, or families with children that may othewise go without this Christmas, you can apply to receive toys and gifts from the appeal by completing the TOY REQUEST FORM . To help us better coordinate the appeal and to accomodate as many requests as we can, please submit your request for donations as soon as you can.

We will campaign hard in generating donations in support of the appeal, encouraging the Cheshire East public and businesses alike to come together and create some festive cheer for the children being supported by the voluntary and community sector and are facing challenging times this Christmas. Although we will do our best to fulfil your request, we cannot promise that this will be the case - successful applications depend upon the quantities of toys that are donated.

CVS Member organisations of CVS Cheshire East will receive priority service, but we will endeavour to fulfil as many requests as we are able. Should we not be able to fulfil your request we will notify you at the earliest possible time.

Toy allocations will need to be collected from: CVS Cheshire East, 1a Gatefield Street, Crewe CW1 2JP on Thursday 10th December 2020. You will also be allocated a timeslot for pick up no less than a week before the collection day.

Appeal deadlines

To ensure we have enough time to get the donated toys and gifts to the Cheshire East children and families that the appeal supports, please be sure to make your donation by the following dates:

Gift/Toy Donations: Tuesday 8th December 2020
Monetary Donations: 24th December 2020

Any monetary donations received after the 4th December will be carried forward to the 2021 CVS Christmas Toy Appeal.

The CVS organiser for this appeal is Marketing Manager Andrew Luisis andrew.luisis@cvsce.org.uk who can also be reached on 01270 763 100 if you have any enquiries.