Bagsg of fun for
Step inside, though, and empty is the last word that comes to mind. It’s an absolute hive of activity.
Big, pink bags are piled high in the first unit, labels pinned to each.
Walking through and into the other unit is like stepping into Santa’s workshop or some wondrous toy shop that would have any kid’s eyes bulging.
The reality is that this one of the key hubs for Cash For Kids’ Mission Christmas. And The Sunday Post has teamed up to make sure there’s as much festive fun as possible for youngsters all across Scotland who need it most.
We’ve been along to this nerve centre as it gears up for the craziest, most hectic month imaginable.
At the Edinburgh operation – one of many across the country – Ian Robertson is the man whose job it is to keep a calm head amidst the chaos.
“This is my sixth Mission Christmas and I start to really nail downwn all the who, why and where questions from the start of November,” saysys Ian, corporate fundraising manager for Cash For Kids at Radio Forth.
The logistics are such that military precision is required to keep a track of all that’s going on.
There are some 400 collectiontion b ox e s across east central Scotland, from Glenrothes to Dunbar, Falkirk to Livingston.
Many are in supermarkets,s, but plenty are in big businesses,, banks and other major financial institutions.
All the t oy s and gifts donated by kind- heartedd individuals have to be transported back to base. That requires 100 pick- ups daily, drivers endlessly going back and forth with the goodies.
The piles of bags in the first unit seem impressively high, but Ian says: “If you come in here in the next week or two and they aren’t virtually touching the ceiling, then there’s something wrong.”
The drivers, like everyone else here, are volunteers, and there are plenty reallife Santa’s little helpers beavering away through the back.
They’re working to Ian’s instructions, unpacking and sorting the toys into the five categories along each wall.
“We split them into boys and girls, from 0 to six months, up to 15 to 18-yearolds,” he explains.
“As you can see, we are generally OK for the ones in the middle, but I struggle especiallyill ffor theh bbabiesbi andd theh llater teens, particularly the boys.”
That’s where the cash donations come in, allowing for the purchase of the allimportant presents.
Mini- drones are one of this year’s must- have toys and a trolley- load sit to one side. IF a picture says a thousand words, nothing needed to be said in Alice’s living room last Christmas.
The look of joy on her granddaughter’s face as she came downstairs on the big morning was
As the morning wears on, the helpers’ efforts never flag and their spirits remain high.
Some have been before, kind people with some time to spare and looking to aid such a good cause.
Others are there as part of employers’ schemes such as Lloyds Banking Group’s