The KidsOut team are delighted to have received a generous donation of 8,000 soft toys from Aurora World Ltd. Two lorries full of cuddly bears from the hit We’re Going on a Bear Hunt were delivered to the KidsOut warehouse on Monday 20^th April 2020. Most of the toys will be used to support the mental welfare of disadvantaged children through KidsOut’s Toy Box service.

“We really cannot thank Aurora enough for this wonderful contribution,” said Sandra Doherty, Head of Children’s Services at KidsOut. “The children we support often have very few possessions of their own and these fantastic cuddly bears will provide comfort and happiness in difficult times.”

The cuddly bears will form an essential component in thousands of future Toy Boxes. Launched in 2008, Toy Box delivers a box of brand-new toys and games to children who have been rehoused due to domestic violence. Each Toy Box is both age and gender appropriate, filled with a family game, jigsaw puzzle, craft activity, action figure/doll, books and a cuddly toy. In 2019 alone, KidsOut delivered a record breaking 3,316 Toy Boxes.

Recently, Toy Box has been adapted to support children living in refuge during the Covid-19 outbreak. Social distancing measures have compounded the extreme isolation many of these children already face, with most living through this crisis restricted to a single room with their mother and siblings. The toys delivered by KidsOut provide a sense of normality, with each toy box being designed to promote social and educational development along with family bonding. These new possessions help children cope with the trauma they have faced before coming to refuge and go a long way to preserving their long-term mental health. It is hoped that the children will be able to look back at challenging times and remember the fun and happiness they experienced playing games and activities with their mother and siblings.

“We are very proud to be able to support the work that KidsOut have long been undertaking and continue to do during these particularly challenging times” said Martin Ringer, Sales Director at Aurora World Ltd. “I’d also like to thank Walker books for their support, and we look forward to working with KidsOut again in the future.”

KidsOut want to thank Aurora for their overwhelming generosity. The team are sure the cuddly bears will be treasured by thousands of children around the UK for many years to come.