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Donations with a Difference gives 578 toys to The Orchards Centre, Milton

A charity has donated nearly 600 presents to a centre for children with disabilities – enough to give one to each child it cares for.

Donations With a Difference (DWAD) dropped off the gifts at The Orchards Centre in Attlee Way, Milton, a multi-agency hub for disabled children and their families.

The organisation benefited from the Giving Tree at Bluewater.

Wayne Hodgson with the haul for The Orchards Centre
Wayne Hodgson with the haul for The Orchards Centre

Visitors can buy an extra toy at the shopping centre for a child who might not get the Christmas their own loved ones enjoy.

The impressive haul of 578 presents was packed into 30 large boxes and delivered by chairman Wayne Hodgson last Tuesday.

The toys ranged from Iron Man face masks and dressing up outfits to My Little Ponies, scooters, Scalextric, toy figures and more.

Mr Hodgson, who estimated the total value of the toys to be £8,000 to £10,000, said: “I have been lucky to meet a number of the therapists at the centre and many of the children and families that we have helped over the last couple of years. The centre is a fantastic place, full of support and is a real community and a centre for the families as well as the children who are disabled.

“I felt compelled to do something for them all this Christmas and feel privileged to have been able to deliver all the presents." - Wayne Hodgson

“I felt compelled to do something for them all this Christmas and feel privileged to have been able to deliver all the presents to ensure every child at the centre will receive a gift from us this year.”

Mr Hodgson said DWAD did not want to give children with certain restrictions a toy or present they would find hard to enjoy so it will work with each child’s therapist.

DWAD has provided bespoke equipment to several young people with a range of disabilities, including a mechanical arm for Sittingbourne teenager Layla Brunger who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy.

Last Christmas, nearly 15,000 gifts from the Giving Tree were delivered to children in the South East. Donations can be left there up until Friday.

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