A COMPANY that has supported the Toy Appeal from the beginning is hoping that their donation will again give less fortunate children a happy Christmas.

The Watercress Company has once more generously backed the Dorset Echo Christmas Toy Appeal with a donation of £100 to go towards buying presents for children across the county who might otherwise go without this Christmas.

Chairman of The Watercress Company, Peter Old, said:“As a local businessman, I have supported the Dorset Echo Toy Appeal for many years since it first started over 20 years ago.

"With 12 grandchildren of my own, I appreciate that Christmas is a special time of the year to bring families together, and I hope that our contribution will help those children in need to have a Happy Christmas”

The Watercress Company is the UK's leading watercress grower with farms in Dorset, Hampshire and even further afield in Spain. It is based near Dorchester and was founded 26 years ago by Peter Old.

Despite the pandemic, last year we received the highest amount of donations ever - £8,348.

Debbie Hellaby, Newsquest Group Promotions Manager, said: "Sourcing, collecting and organising the toys for hundreds of children is not an easy task - the toys are usually matched to the age and interest of each child individually.

"We are delighted to accept the support of the Weymouth Rotary Club to facilitate the collection and collation of toys."

We were unable to put our toy collections bins out last year due to the pandemic but they are going out this year. We're grateful to Weymouth Rotary Club whose members will be helping us with the toy collections.

We are asking you to give a thought to needy children this Christmas, and buy one extra present to go in a Dorset Echo Toy Appeal bins. You can see locations of bins below.

Weymouth; Asda, Howleys, Morrisons, Tesco (town centre) WHSmith, Wilkinsons.

Dorchester; Tesco, Toymaster, WHSmith, Boo's Toyshop (Poundbury).

Portland; Co-Op (Easton), Tesco (Easton).

Bridport; Morrisons, Toymaster.

All the toys collected will be distributed before Christmas to children who really appreciate them.

Any businesses wishing to make a £100 donation to the 2022 Dorset Echo toy appeal should contact maureen.jolliffe@localiq.co.uk, call 01305 830811 or visit https://store.newsquest.co.uk/donations. Donations are also welcomed from readers for any amount.