Argos Toy Exchange

I love a good idea that both makes sense and helps my kids think about how lucky the are. It’s one reason why I’m loving the launch of the Argos Toy Exchange  with Barnardo’s, which is encouraging families to donate all their unwanted toys before Christmas. According to research from Argos, there are 474 million un-played with toys in the UK, and 13 million end up in landfill every year, many of which are in perfectly good condition and could got to a new home. The new home being a ‘donation station’ which are now in operation at around 740 Argos stores and 500 Barnardo’s retail stores. It’s here that you can donate pre loved toys to help raise to  money for some of the UK’s most disadvantaged children and young people. I can also believe it when I read that the average UK family has apparently 80 toys but children don’t regularly play with two thirds of them. In my own house sometimes the toy box isn’t opened for days, and at most about a tenth of our toys get played with. In stark contrast, there are 3.6 million children living below the poverty line in the UK, which is almost a third of all children. Many families  have just £12 per day per person to buy everything they need to live, never mind toys. It’s why I think this campaign is a great way to have good clear out. Plus in exchange for your donated toys you’ll be given a £5 voucher towards the cost of new toys (minimum £35 spend) which needs to be redeemed at Argos by 24 December. Better still all of the toys donated through the Argos Toy Exchange will be passed on to Barnardo’s to be sold in its retail stores. And every penny of profit made in Barnardo’s retail stores will then go directly into their work with some of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people. I’m all for it – are you? * To donate toys to the Argos Toy Exchange, visit your local Argos or Barnardo’s store from Wednesday 17 October 2012.  Donations will be accepted at stores until Tuesday 27 November 2012.