People at Sycamore Adventure Playground are hoping for a visit from Santa as part of this year’s Sainsbury’s Toy Appeal.

The store runs a Christmas collection each year and this year will be collecting gifts from shoppers to donate to users of the council’s Sycamore Adventure Playground.

Last year, generous shoppers and Sainsbury’s Amblecote staff donated more than 120 toys and gifts to youngsters in the borough. The gifts will be used by visitors to the centre, which includes children with disabilities and special educational needs, looked after children and children from borough schools. Shoppers can donate gifts right up until 20 December. Councillor Anne Millward, cabinet member for children’s services, said:

“Sycamore Adventure Playground is a much loved centre, providing all children, whatever their background or educational needs, with the opportunity to play, explore and imagine.

“I’d like to thank Sainsbury’s for running this scheme, which is set to benefit the thousands of local children who use the centre every year.”

Kevin Healy, Amblecote store manager at Sainsbury’s, added:

"It’s really important to us here at Sainsbury’s Amblecote to connect with our community, which is why we’re running our annual toy appeal as well as hosting a range of charity collections for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People alongside our Carol Singing Weekend on 16 and 17 December.

“The toy appeal is a key part of our December activities, our customers and colleagues are always so generous with this appeal and we hope that we’ll be able to hand over trolleys full of toys to the children at Sycamore Adventure Play.”

Sycamore Adventure Playground is an award winning adventure playground situated in an area of significant deprivation in North Dudley. Since opening its doors in July 2010, the adventure playground has registered over 13,000 children and saw 23,000 child visits take place last year. At times the adventure playground will see 400 children playing there at one given time.

The adventure playground is a beacon site for inclusive play with a high percentage of attendance from disabled children (16%), children from deprived backgrounds (43%) and looked after children (3%). A strong volunteering ethos has developed at the adventure playground with on average 60 hours of volunteering taking place on site each week.

The adventure playground generates 70% of its running costs. A registered charity, Friends of Sycamore Adventure (no 1164461) was formed in 2010. The group is made up of parents and professionals who have a common interest in the future of the adventure playground. Friends of Sycamore Adventure fundraise to ensure that money is available to develop the service further and ensure that it is an amazing, exciting and ever changing place for children to play.