A Liverpool community organiser is hosting a toy swap in Everton next Sunday.
The event is hosted by his organisation Everton Together, which works with local people and organisations to improve the local community.
Kevin, who is the Lib Dem campaigner for Everton West, said: “The idea is for good condition toys to be swapped for something similar and toys with higher values to be raffled to raise money for New Beginnings Improving Lives.”
New Beginnings Improving Lives is a non-profit organisation which runs a community store, houses homeless people, hosts foodbanks and provides mental health support.
Drop offs and donations are welcome between 10am-12pm on Sunday January 19 at Co-op Office, Langrove Street, L5 3PE.
Alternatively drops can be made to Dry Rain by Sakina prior to the event, at 35 Prescot Street, L7 8UE.
In exchange for a drop, people will receive tokens to be spent at the swap shop which will be open between 12:30pm-2:30pm.
This will be Kevin’s second toy swap that he’s hosted, the first being two years shortly after his dad died.
Kevin said his heart is much more in the event this year. saying he hopes to bring people together who wouldn’t necessarily have been so before.
Kevin’s friend Sakina, who owns the gift shop Dry Rain, has offered her shop as a drop point for toys prior to the swap.
Sakina is a community-based worker located in L7. The pair met when Sakina was making face masks for workers in the Royal Hospital during covid and Kevin hosted her on his radio show at the time, Access Northwest.
Speaking on the upcoming toy swap, Sakina said: “I hope it’ll not only bring the community together but we’re able to get something special for children who don’t have as many toys.”
As well as toy swaps, Everton Together has hosted monthly litter picks over the past five years, hosted school uniform swaps, removed graffiti from the local area, repainted benches in local parks and featured in local news dozens of times for campaigning issues in the local community.
Issues that they’ve previously campaigned for include council plans over the closure of Everton Park Sport Centre and Toxteth Sport Centre – which he was able to delay – and the exposing of a £700,000 unpaid debt by a company who uses space behind Stanley Park.
He said: “Once you start digging into things you realise how bad it is.”
Kevin says he does what he does as it’s about making people happy.
- Listen to Melanie Dook’s audio report here.
Featured image (c) Sakina Ali
