Glasgow's St Timothy's Primary gather toys for Bank on Us

St Timothy’s Primary School, in Greenfield, made the massive donation yesterday after spending the month of December collecting gifts for their peers throughout the city as part of the Glasgow Times Bank On Us toy appeal.

Dolls, games, Play Dohs and jigsaws were crammed into our van to give Santa a helping hand this Christmas after yet another tough year with coronavirus restrictions.

The presents were collected by our sponsors Storage Vault which will now handle the distribution of the gifts.

Many of the presents will be sent to other Glasgow schools to help families in need make sure their child doesn’t go without on December 25, while others will be sent to toy banks, nurseries and charities across the city and surrounding areas.

READ MORE: Almost £10K raised for Glasgow toy appeal

Proud staff at the Inveresk Street school watched on as youngsters took on the role of Santa’s elves, getting behind the campaign with a bit of manual labour.

The primary school pupils showed off their festive spirit as they helped creatively stack all of their lovingly gathered donations inside the collection van.

One teacher joked: “You’ll be there for days with all these donations.”

Mrs McLaughlin praised the efforts of the school’s young people.

She said: “The children have done really well.

“This isn’t the most affluent area and, with the requirement being that new toys were needed, we weren’t sure if there would be very many.

“We’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with the generosity of pupils, parents and staff.”

Dozens more schools have arranged for their recyclable Glasgow Times bags to be collected prior to the end of term next week, such as Pollokshields and Shawlands Primary.

While other schools, such as Our Lady of the Rosary Primary in Cardonald, have already sent their donations away to their nearest toy bank.

Pupils have proven, yet again, just how caring our city’s young people are and, with their support, thousands of gifts will be collected for youngsters in need.

Councillor Chris Cunningham, city convener for education, skills and early years said: “Once again our schools are delighted to support the Glasgow Times’ Christmas toy appeal and it is heartening to hear that they’ve had a magnificent response from the people of Glasgow.

“We’ve all experienced such a challenging two years but we all know how kind, generous and compassionate our citizens are and will always find reserves to support each other.”

READ MORE: Glasgow school kids pledge support for toy plea

As previously reported, the Glasgow Times has set out on a mission to help save Christmas for families in need this year.

After coronavirus hit last year, it was hoped 2021 would bring a return to normality but several months of lockdown and the new fears brought about by the Omicron variant have seen many families hit with financial concerns once again.

In a bid to take the pressure off parents, we launched the Bank on Us toy appeal yet again urging our kind readers to gather in a range of newly bought toys – for infants to teenagers and every child in between – to ensure every young person in Glasgow would receive a merry Christmas.

Once again, our city did not disappoint with thousands of gifts already donated so far and an incredible £8500 in cash raised to help buy presents for little ones.

Callum Baird, Glasgow Times editor, said: “This has been another incredibly difficult year for all of us and, while Christmas can be stressful for everyone, it brings immense pressure on thousands of families.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the hard work of pupils, parents and staff at so many gifts who have brought in thousands of toys for our Bank on Us appeal.

“Each of these gifts will be gratefully received by the city’s most underprivileged kids. Thank you for helping us save Christmas for Glasgow’s children.”

With less than 10 days to go before the big day, staff at our partner toy banks are working harder than ever to ensure their preparations are complete.

However, that doesn’t mean there still isn’t time to get involved.

Several toy banks remain open for collection, with some accepting gifts as late as Christmas Eve, while our online GoFundMe page will be accepting cash donations until the end of the week.

All monies raised will then go to purchasing gifts for young people in need.

To donate, visit here.