In collaboration with The Salvation Army, The Entertainer has announced the return of The Big Toy Appeal for its fifth year.

The Big Toy Appeal, encourages customers to embrace the spirit of giving by picking up an extra toy to donate towards the cause when visiting The Entertainer in-store or online. For each gift generously contributed by customers, The Entertainer will match the donation, effectively doubling the number of toys that will go towards families who require support during the festive season.

The heartwarming initiative, now in its fifth year, aims to bring the joy of Christmas to as many unprivileged children across the country as possible. To date, The Big Toy Appeal has provided over 110,000 gifts to children who would otherwise go without on Christmas morning. This year, The Entertainer is aiming to reach a target of 120,000 total toys donated through The Big Toy Appeal.

The holiday season often adds extra financial strain on families, making it challenging to provide Christmas presents for loved ones. Many families in these difficult circumstances turn to charities like The Salvation Army for support, relying on foodbanks and other donation to help them through the Christmas period.

Gary and Catherine Grant, founders of The Entertainer said: “The Entertainer is proud to be supporting the Big Toy Appeal once again this year. It’s an effective and efficient way to pass on joy and delight to children, with around 110,000 toys donated since 2018. In partnering with The Salvation Army, we are enabling generosity amongst our staff, our customers and our communities, so that families can be supported in a very real and practical way during these times of extreme financial hardship. Every child deserves the gift of play, and the Big Toy Appeal encourages us to work together to bring moments of delight to children on Christmas morning.”

Tony Daniels, director for community services for The Salvation Army, added: “The cost of living crisis continues to place family budgets (and others) under significant and sustained pressure. Clearly, our Big Toy Appeal is needed more than ever and will allow us, partnering with The Entertainer, to bring Christmas joy and support to families who need it most right now.”

The Big Toy Appeal runs in all UK stores, as well as online here, between Monday 6th – Thursday 30th November.