Six children’s charities are to benefit from the generosity of toy industry manufacturers exhibiting at Harrogate’s Toymaster.
Each May, independent toy shop specialist Toymaster stages its annual show at the Majestic Hotel and this year more than 600 toy retailers and suppliers from the UK, Ireland, Australia and Malta attended over the three days.
And, as has been tradition for a number of years, organisers write to each stand holder asking if they will leave at least one product behind, which will in turn be given to local charities in and around the Harrogate area.
This year’s bumper crop of toys and games – some of which won’t be in the shops until Christmas – were collected by charity fundraiser Maureen Burns and her husband, Bob. The pair are now distributing them to the six good causes – Martin House Children’s Hospice, Young Carers, Leeds General Infirmary Children’s Ward, Skibbu (special baby unit at Harrogate District Hospital, Friends of Harrogate Hospital, and Hope Pastures.
Maureen said:
Once again I am staggered at the generosity of the toy manufacturers exhibiting at the Majestic Hotel’s Toymaster show.
This year we estimate the number of toys to be close to 1,000. It’s just fantastic and I just can’t thank them enough for their generosity.
Toymaster managing director Ian Edmunds said:
We love coming to Harrogate and love coming to the Majestic Hotel. At the end of the show we take a letter to each stand asking if they would be kind enough to leave a gift for charity.
Yet again the exhibitors have responded magnificently. It makes me proud to be associated with this superb industry, which is famed for its support of charities.
Majestic Hotel general manager Matthew Hole said:
As ever it has been our pleasure to host Toymaster’s May Show. It’s always an event the team here look forward to staging, and it’s wonderful that it benefits local charities as well as the local economy.
