Children facing Christmas in hospital are set for a surprise after boxes bursting with presents were donated by cops to the county’s children’s ward.
A van crammed full of unclaimed and stolen toys was put to better use as officers dropped them off at Queen’s Medical Centre’s Children’s Unit.
The brand-new toys included games, scooters, arts and crafts, and dolls.
After lying unclaimed for months and even years the team working to review items seized by the force collected them all together and decided to spread festive joy to children spending Christmas away from their families.
Each box was cleaned, disinfected and stacked high before being loaded into a van and handed over to a representative from the children’s ward on Wednesday (14 December).
The hospital will now wrap them up, place them in stockings for each child and hand them out to bring them some festive cheer and make sure no one goes without.
The gifts found their way into police hands through a variety of situations including being seized from raids, taken from shoplifters, found by members of the public, and classed as stolen.
Each of the items then lay unclaimed for the allotted time within the force’s archive and exhibit stores, gathering dust.
Following an idea from the archive and exhibits team, Kev Vowles and his Historic Exhibit Review Team did the groundwork and set the plan in motion.
He said: “The toys got into police possession over the last couple of months and years from various different sources.
“Investigations into each of the incidents are now complete and there’s been no owners or anyone who has come forward to claim them – so they just lay gathering dust.
“It not only enables us to do something good for those who unfortunately are going to be in hospital during the Christmas period but to also clear out room at the station.
“No child should go without this Christmas and if we can help in any way to bring a smile to their faces, we will.
“We regularly donate clothing, electrical items, and toys to different charities across Nottinghamshire when an investigation ends and the goods go unclaimed.
“It’s great that we can put anything unclaimed or confiscated to better use and if it helps people and makes sick children happy then myself and my team can go home with smiles on our own faces.”
