Kind-hearted staff and councillors from Dudley Council are helping to put a smile on the faces of children across the borough with their annual gift appeal.

Staff and councillors have been busy donating dozens of toys and games as part of Santa’s Black Country Toy Appeal.

The games will be distributed to children in the borough, who would otherwise go without this Christmas, as part of the scheme which is run by the Dudley based charity.

The donations already include books, clothes and selection boxes. Councillor Anne Millward, Mayor of Dudley, said:

"No child should go without at Christmas, but sadly some do. This is a fantastic initiative and I am delighted that staff and elected members are helping to put a smile on children’s faces."

Santa's Black Country Toy Appeal has been launched today to give Christmas to the most vulnerable families and children across the Black Country. This annual appeal was previously run by Dudley CVS and covered the Dudley Borough under the moniker of 'Operation Santa'; a local initiative that ran for many years. 

The scheme began in 1999 when the 'Dudley Hope Charity' supported 300 children. Growth over the subsequent two decades meant that over 6,300 children across Dudley borough receive a Christmas gift in 2020.

This year, the team of volunteers have come together to form Santa's Black Country Toy Appeal, a charity with a vision to expand across the four Borough's of the Black Country; Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. The estimated number of children living below the poverty line in those areas totals 104,265.

The team believes that no child should go without at Christmas and do their best to reach as many children and young people as possible, whose parents may be struggling through no fault of their own.

Members of the public can also donate toys until December 14th - for more information on how to support the appeal, visit bc-santa.co.uk.