Rotherham United boss Paul Warne will be on-hand from 6pm at Parkgate Shopping to help our club partners launch their annual Christmas Toy Appeal, which sees gifts donated to those in the local area who may not be able to afford to buy them themselves.
The Millers have been long-time supporters of the Toy Appeal with managers and players throughout the years attending to pledge their backing on behalf of the club with Warney set to join Parkgate staff and shoppers in attendance this evening.
The Rotherham Toy Appeal was launched in the 1990’s but has grown from strength to strength with each year that has passed. Parkgate Shopping, The Advertiser and RB1 Radio (formerly known as Rother FM) are just some of the supporters of the appeal alongside countless other local businesses.
Parkgate Shopping houses the gifts, houses the volunteers, collects the toys from the shops and provides the Christmas Giving Trees - which are located around the Shopping Park - from which our customers, colleagues and tenants can choose an age-rated tag from and buy a gift for a child to support a local family at a very special time of year.
The Rotherham Toy Appeal provides a beacon of light during the festive period and is now more pertinent than ever with the effects of the pandemic hitting many people in the local area hard financially.
Last year the generosity of our community and supporters helped the appeal to provide for 1,600 young people and give them a Christmas they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
The gifts are wrapped and given by parents and carers which allows them to feel special too and, whilst the appeal keep very little information on the children - meaning we may not get thank you’s directly from them but we can imagine their faces on Christmas morning.
The referrals are all provided by recognised agencies who work within the field of Children’s Support so anyone who is kind enough to donate can do so knowing that they really are giving to children who are in need.
Rotherham United’s Commercial Director Steve Coakley, who has championed the Millers’ participation in this event over recent years, was once again delighted to see the club supporting what he believes is a fantastic community cause.
“Christmas is a very special time of year and one that I personally cherish spending with my loved ones, but sometimes we lose sight of the fact that the festive period brings challenges for those less fortunate than ourselves,” he told www.themillers.co.uk.
“I think the appeal is a brilliant way of giving something back in an anonymous way, which also protects the magic of Christmas and gift-giving for those who benefit from it."
“It is always a really special night when it is launched too with local youngsters in attendance and a good crowd – usually sipping on a hot chocolate or something to keep warm! – and it gives us great pride to have our manager there to help kick off each year’s appeal.
“We work closely with Janet and the team at Parkgate Shopping throughout the year, but I have to say, this is definitely one of my favourite projects that we collaborate with them to deliver.”