Firefighters Launch Toy Collection for Hospitalized Children

Fire crews are collecting toys to fill a fire engine, intending to provide them to children hospitalized over Christmas. They expressed a desire for their initiative to “spread a bit of cheer”. Donations are being gathered at fire stations throughout Coventry, with organizers planning to deliver the last contributions to Birmingham Children’s Hospital by December 21. Daniel McQuillan, the leader of this collection effort, stated that a colleague conceived the idea following his son’s treatment at the hospital. Mr. McQuillan quoted his colleague, saying, “He wanted to do something to give back to the nurses and kids that were there.” In prior years, the initiative achieved such success that two fire engines were filled with hundreds of toys. Mr. McQuillan commented, “It’s lovely to do and it’s great to see the reactions that we get, the kids absolutely love the presents.” He added, “It’s lovely to just spread a bit of cheer. But it is quite hard as well because some of the kids are really, really poorly.” The public is encouraged to deliver toys to Coventry’s central fire station, located on Radford Road, for both the Birmingham hospital and the children’s ward within Coventry. Additional donation points include the fire stations situated in Foleshill, Binley, and Canley. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.