Toy Bank Weekend at Gulliver’s Valley proves a big hit for KidsOut charity

Each year, every Gulliver’s theme park in the UK stages a ‘Toy Bank Weekend’, when entry is discounted for families who bring a new, unused toy to donate.

This year, Gulliver’s collected an incredible 3,903 toys for KidsOut across all four parks, beating last year’s total of 2,272.

Craig Seedhouse, resort director at Gulliver’s Valley, said: “Once again, we have seen such a fantastic response from our loyal families who turn out in great numbers to support these wonderful events we stage in partnership with charities. KidsOut do such important work for children who have been through challenging times and we are always keen to do what we can to help.”

KidsOut is a national charity that supports mothers and children who have escaped domestic abuse. The toys donated over the weekend will go towards making up Toy Boxes which the charity put together for children in refuge up and down the UK.

Each year more than 20,000 children flee domestic abuse to seek sanctuary in refuge or a safehouse. Typically leaving home with only the clothes on their back, these children have either witnessed or experienced physical, emotional, and even sexual abuse and arrive at refuge with nothing.

Louise Sherwood, community engagement manager at KidsOut, said: “We cannot thank Gulliver’s enough for organising these events. On behalf of the charity, we would also like to extend our thanks to those kind individuals who donated toys to the children we support. To a child that has nothing, these toys mean everything to them and remind them that they are not forgotten.”

To find out more about the work of KidsOut, visit: https://www.kidsout.org.uk/

The theme park has more than 30 exciting rides, attractions, shows and activities to enjoy, including Apache Falls, Ghostly Galleon pirate ship, Lost Jurassic World, and Gulliver’s Gears, which is home to the Grand Prix Racer rollercoaster and a range of classic cars.

For those looking to make the most of the visit, the park has a variety of accommodation options for an overnight stay, including Unicorn and Princess Suites, Pirate Lodges, Captain’s Dens, Mermaid Dens, Lost World Lodges and the Megalodon Lodge.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit www.gulliversvalleyresort.co.uk