The Chronicle is sponsoring Reading Family Aid’s Toys & Teens appeal which is back for another year helping disadvantaged families give their children presents this Christmas.

Members of the charity have outlined the dire conditions that these families are in, and therefore the imperative need for people to donate to the cause.

A volunteer at Reading Family Aid Ruth Perkins said: “I visited a family to deliver toys and was welcomed into the tiny flat.

“The floors were concrete. There were no curtains. There was no furniture. No fridge. No washing machine. The little boy had no toys at all, he was just playing with a cardboard box.

Ruth Perkins said that when she showed the boy’s mum the sack of toys she had for him, she burst into tears.

“These people are living in desperate conditions,” she said. “The last thing they should have to worry about is how they can afford a present for their child this Christmas”.

The appeal supports thousands of children living in poverty from refugees to poorer families in Reading.

They are accepting new and nearly new toys at 33 donation points across Reading and the surrounding areas.

A spokesperson for the appeal has said: “Imagine feeling that you must leave your home, family, and friends to protect yourself and your children. Maybe you are fleeing violence or persecution.”

They continued: “You're in a totally different culture. You may not speak the language, have little or no money, and have little hope of providing what you hoped would be a better life for you and your children.”

These disadvantaged families are likely to be placed in a room in a budget hotel. They usually have no access to cooking facilities and have long to wait before their permanent living situation is sorted out.

The Toys and Teens Appeal 2023 is also fundraising from their GoFundMe appeal to buy gifts for disadvantaged children.

If you would like to donate to the campaign, you can do so through: https://gofund.me/292470f4