Generosity of County Derry shoppers brings festive magic to hundreds of families

Shoppers in County Derry were among the generous contributors who donated 1,654 brand-new toys to Tesco’s 2025 Christmas Toy Donation campaign, helping local children across Northern Ireland celebrate the festive season.

Customers at Tesco stores in Derry, Coleraine, Limavady and Magherafelt supported the retailer’s 2025 Christmas Toy Donation campaign so that local children who might otherwise not receive a gift on the big day wouldn’t miss out on some festive magic.

Customers responded enthusiastically, with 1,654 brand-new toys donated at in-store donation points. The gifts were then given to local organisations including The Salvation Army, Women’s Aid, St Vincent de Paul and Cash for Kids, which Tesco store colleagues chose to partner with for the campaign. The gifts were then distributed to local children to open on Christmas Day.

Siobhan McMullan, Customer Engagement Manager at Tesco’s Newcastle Superstore said “We take pride in supporting our local community during the year through Tesco Stronger Starts and our Community Food Connection programme. This year’s toy donation campaign gave customers a fantastic opportunity to support local families and ensure children in our community had something to open on Christmas Day.

"We are so grateful to our customers who donated what they could to help bring some festive joy to local families over Christmas.”

Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said: “We really can’t thank our customers enough for their kind contributions to our Toy Donation campaign. Throughout the year our stores give support to children and their community, and without fail local people support us in our efforts.

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"So once again we are grateful to the people of Northern Ireland for showing that the magic of Christmas is very much alive and well. They have made a lot of children very happy at a time of year that can be difficult for some families, so thank you so much again for your support.”

Tesco’s Toy Donation campaign ran in stores across the UK in November and December, with more than 74,250 gifts donated by generous shoppers.