Toy Bank Weekend at Gulliver’s Kingdom 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.

Hannah Marsden, resort manager at Gulliver’s Kingdom, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to all the families who supported Toy Bank Weekend and helped us collect such a fantastic number of toys for KidsOut. We stage several events in support of various charities each year and the support we receive from families is always humbling. We hope the toys collected go some way to helping those children who have been through extremely challenging times.”

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: www.kidsout.org.uk/

Located in the beautiful Peak District National Park, Gulliver’s Kingdom has more than 30 exciting rides, attractions, shows and activities to enjoy, including animatronic dinosaurs, the Drop Tower, The Pirate Ship, Riggers Revenge zip line, and the brand-new Safari Kingdom area and Upside Down house.

For those looking to make the most of the visit, the park has a variety of accommodation options for an overnight stay, including Pirate Cabins, Promenade Rooms, and Princess or Wizard Suites.

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