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Families in Stratford-upon-Avon can swap toys their children have outgrown for “new to them” Christmas presents at The Big Toy Swap on Saturday 21 November, from 10am to 1pm, at the foodbank’s Masons Road Hub (Precision Business Centre, 100 Masons Road).
It’s run by Stratford-upon-Avon Foodbank, Stratford Family Club and Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action (WCAVA), according to the organisers’ public event page. The swap was first reported by the Stratford Herald, which says it is free and part of a wider Big Toy Swap campaign to make Christmas cheaper and keep good toys out of the bin.
How the Stratford toy swap works
- Bring: clean toys in good condition that your children no longer play with.
- Take: something different to give at Christmas, without paying for it.
- When: Saturday 21 November, 10am to 1pm. Go early for the best choice: 48 people had already responded to the event page when we checked on 31 October.
- Not sure? The event page doesn’t say whether you must bring a toy to take one, or what happens to toys left over. If that matters to you, ask the organisers through the event page before the day.
Finding Masons Road Hub
The hub is the foodbank’s base on Masons Road, just west of the railway station, roughly a 15 to 20-minute walk from Bridge Street. The event page gives the address as Precision Business Centre, 100 Masons Road. Bus times from the town centre are on our Stratford bus times page.
Why it matters this Christmas
Children grow out of toys long before the toys wear out, and new presents add up quickly in November and December. A swap lets families clear space and get something fresh for the tree at no cost, and the foodbank’s involvement means it reaches families who are watching every pound. It falls on the weekend before the first Stratford Christmas market weekend (27 to 29 November).
For everything else on in the run-up to Christmas, from the lights switch-on on 14 November to the pantos, see our Christmas in Stratford-upon-Avon guide.
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Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.
