Following Chloe Hamilton’s sensible article on cutting the cost of buying toys (Child’s play: how to cut the cost of buying toys in the UK, 25 June), I would like to add the following observation. Make sure the items have a CE mark to ensure that they are safe to give to children. I work for two days a week in our local charity shop and we cannot accept toys without the stamp, a rule that is not always well received by donors. Also, many toys are not clean enough to meet our hygiene protocols so can’t be put out.
And don’t expect to find that rare collector’s item worth a lot of money. The better items are spotted by visiting colleagues, who send them off to head office for selling online. All profits from our charity shop go to support palliative care nurses at a hospice. Well done to all for recycling.
Gordon Williams
Malmesbury, Wiltshire
