Shop provides festive fun for sick children

The superstore on Vicarage Lane, Marton, is donating a massive box full of items, including dolls, jigsaws and books so that anybody else thinking of donating can focus on the elderly.

Nick Sheridan, the store manager at Smyths Toys, said: “Being a toy store, we get asked for donations every week and we do little bits here and there but it’s for the hospital and obviously it has a lot to do with the time of year.

“It’s a good cause because there’s so many elderly people in hospital. My mother’s in sheltered accommodation and there’s loads more that don’t have any family or visitors. So it makes a nice change.

“We’ve only been open seven months and it’s just an ideal opportunity. It lets the people of Blackpool know that Smyths is here and that we do help the community.

“This is one of the biggest stores in the company. It’s our first Christmas and so many people don’t know we’re here. It’s been a slow burner and we pride ourselves on customer service. Helping people and getting the right products for people.”

Duty manager, Shane Connolly added: “It’s for everyone, Christmas.

“We were already doing something for Christmas with Fleetwood Town so it’s good to do something with the hospital as well.”

Ann Hedley, from Blue Skies, thanked Smyths Toys for their donation.

She said: “We couldn’t do what we do without the generosity of the local community and to have somebody to come straight out and say, ‘We’ll do the toys for people’, that’s great because it means we can focus on the older people who are often forgotten.

“People often think of children and young people on their own at Christmas. When in fact, most of them will go home to a family and have someone care for them. Whereas some of the older people won’t have anybody. It’s just phenomenal for us that Smyths to agree to help the appeal.

“We’re more than grateful, especially in these tough economic times for businesses, it’s such a generous gesture and we can’t thank them enough.”