Pub chain Hungry Horse has today announced a new Boxing Day toy donation scheme, designed to help parents declutter their homes and spread festive cheer, while supporting families who can put their preloved toys to good use during the festive season.
According to the latest research, almost a third (27%) of UK kids get bored of their new presents in under ten minutes on Christmas day, putting pressure on parents to buy more and more toys to keep them entertained.
Getting rid of the unwanted or unused toys can be a massive challenge for Brits, with a whopping 40% of parents simply throwing them away when they’re no longer wanted to save themselves the hassle. What’s more, a quarter of Mums and Dads (25%) say they’ve gone so far as to throw new toys away while they’re still in the packaging.
This year, parents are also under pressure to find the latest make and model of each gift, with half (50%) of us saying newness is important at Christmas. Considering how financially difficult the previous year has been for many, this is an added layer of pressure for parents during the festive period.
To combat this issue, and to help spread the Christmas cheer in true Hungry Horse style, the newly launched ‘Toy Boxing Day’ will be available in each of the 255 Hungry Horse pubs across the UK.
To take part, all parents have to do is head into their local Hungry Horse with a box of unwanted Christmas presents and place them in the donation area signposted in pub. Once Boxing Day is over, all toys will be donated to a local charity nominated by each individual pub team.
Across the UK, there’s a clear regional divide in terms of Christmas gift trends. For instance, 89% of parents in the North East of England say they regularly donate unwanted toys to charity, making them the most generous region in the UK, followed by Wales (83%), and Scotland (78%).
Further south however, habits are different. Parents in the South East are the most likely in the country (53%) to throw away unwanted toys, followed closely by those in the Greater London area (50%).
Rob Calderbank, Business Unit Director for Hungry Horse, said: “Our new Toy Boxing Day scheme is about helping those that have struggled over the past twelve months, so donations from each pub will be sent to a mixture of charities, shelters and local organisations nominated by each pub team.
“At Hungry Horse, we are big on generosity and whatever it is you’re able to donate on Toy Boxing Day, you can guarantee it’s going to go to someone who really needs it in your local area.”
