The toy donation scheme is in response to charities’ pleas for help, with Lidl also pledging 1m meals to communities.

Lidl has announced the launch of a new, nationwide Christmas toy donation drive, starting on 3rd November.

It follows new research, in partnership with Neighbourly, that found that for 8 in 10 charities and community groups currently partnered with Lidl, toys and games were one of their most needed items to help serve their local communities over the festive period, second only to food donations.

Lidl will launch toy banks across its stores nationwide, with customers able to drop off new and unopened toys and games, to be gifted to children that need support in their local area.

Donations can be anything from a small stocking filler to something bigger, including toys, games, books, puzzles and arts & crafts, for a range of ages. The toys will then be collected by local charities participating in Lidl’s Feed it Back scheme, coordinated by Neighbourly, alongside the food they pick up weekly. They will then be donated via local charities and community groups such as food banks and community centres.

In addition, the supermarket has committed £250k for charities during the festive period, including a £125k donation for the toy bank initiative, and has also pledged to donate more meals than ever over the festive period.

Existing charity partnerships will be prioritised for the festive collections but, where there’s availability, additional organisations are being invited to apply to be paired with a local Lidl store to collect toys and fresh and chilled food products ahead of stores closing on Christmas Eve.

Ryan McDonnell, chief executive officer at Lidl GB, said: “It has always been our firm belief that each and every one of our stores must have a positive impact on its community. This year, we wanted to find a meaningful way to help these communities – and so we listened to the 1,500 local charities, food banks and community groups we partner with and heard clearly what they needed: food, toys, and access to funds.

“Our hope is that by rolling out the toy donation points we are making it easier, for those customers who can, to donate directly to local good causes by giving them a small way to make a real difference and help those that need it the most.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added: “Our latest community survey has highlighted the financial strain that many families are facing this winter. With local charities seeing a drop in both food and financial donations, any support that Lidl customers can give is going to be critical. For many families, Christmas gifts will be something they will struggle to afford, so a scheme like this which alleviates some of the worry for parents will make a huge difference.”

Lidl toy banks will be accepting donations from Thursday 3rd November until Friday 16th December, when all the toys will be collected for distribution.