Chief Elf Sparkle is certainly being kept busy at the toy donation station in Woking’s Victoria Place thanks to visitors’ generosity.

Sparkle was thrilled to receive ten goody bags of toys from HMV, thanks to Dean and Kayleigh, who both work in HMV in Victoria Place, coming in to donate the toys. HMV offers more than 12,000 products, perfect for Christmas gifting.  

John Paul Jackson, centre manager, said: “We’re thrilled that HMV has donated the goody bags, which has hopefully encouraged others to do the same.

“Giving back is super important to Victoria Place this year, so the toy donations drive is a fantastic initiative and we’re hugely grateful for the generosity of our customers taking part.

“We hope this will continue to do well over the coming days, to help provide gifts to families who might otherwise go without this year. We wish all our customers a happy, healthy Christmas and look forward to welcoming you all on a visit to Victoria Place this Christmas.” 

For those inspired by HMV’s donations, the toy donation station is near Poundland in the Peacocks. Chief Elf Sparkle will be on hand from 10am to 5pm daily until Sunday (December 17) to collect all the pre-loved toys from families. More than 2,500 toys have been donated so far.

The Forgotten Toys appeal has three charity partners, Sebastian’s Action Trust, The Children’s Trust and The Lighthouse.

Last year Victoria Place customers donated nearly 3,000 toys to help less fortunate families, and this year could be even more spectacular.

Also this year, for every 100 toys donated, a Freddy the Festive Bear will be given away. Freddy has also been out and about around the mall greeting customers and taking selfies. He will be making more appearances.  

Santa’s Toy Workshop, complete with animatronic singing reindeer, is also open and Santa has been extremely busy with lots of families visiting him. 

The workshop will be open until December 24. Visitors will be able to meet Santa and his trusty elves for free at intervals throughout the day between 10am and 5pm on selected dates and take home a special gift to remember their experience. No pre-booking is required.  

For further details, visit https://vpwoking.co.uk/Christmas