Pub chain Hungry Horse has shown that community spirit is alive and well amid the cost of living crisis by donating a whopping 10,000 toys to 150 different local charities at the end of 2022.
The annual scheme, which was launched in 2021, ran throughout December across all 255 Hungry Horse pubs in the UK, with visitors encouraged to donate unwanted toys at designated drop-off stations within pubs.
Kindhearted customers came together to contribute an incredible 10,000 toys, surpassing last year’s total of 3,000, which individual pub teams then donated to a charity of their choice to help those in need.
The scheme was launched in November to support families struggling due to significant economic pressures amid the cost of living crisis, while providing a solution to those wanting to re-gift toys.
Two Hungry Horse pubs in particular hit an incredible four figure donation each, with the Bramford Arms in Woodsetton accumulating 1,500 toys and the Kings Arms in Bagshot collecting a total of 1,000.
Other top-performing pubs include the Bell Inn in Yeovil, the Bridge Builder in Arleston and the
Heron in Havant, which each contributed around 300 toys to the drive.
The charitable scheme followed Hungry Horse research that found more than a quarter of parents (27%) throw their children’s old presents away, while 51% remove gifts from the home within just six months of the Christmas season.
Sarah Williams, senior marketing manager for Hungry Horse, said: “Our toy donation campaign is all about spreading Christmas cheer over the festive season, helping families ensure children have toys to open on Christmas Day.
“At Hungry Horse, we are big on generosity, and we hope that our Christmas toy drive helped spread a sprinkling of festive cheer, during a time of financial hardship for so many families. We’re looking forward to doing it even bigger and better this year!”
In addition to the toy drive, Hungry Horse brought local communities together by offering Christmas or Boxing Day lunches, either free or at a significantly reduced price, to support those who were alone over Christmas.
The pun chain filled up spaces across 30 sites, feeding 300 people.
For Christmas 2023, Hungry Horse has plans to expand the initiative. Further details will be revealed later in the year.
