It's Hoggle Doggle, toys and trouble ...

HAVING donations piled to the ceiling is a dilemma every charity would wish for.

Children's toy service Mr Hoggle Doggle has had so many contributions it has hired a warehouse.

The charity, run by husband and wife David and Clare Allan, collects second-hand toys for under-privileged children. Now it needs new places to give them away.

Mr Allan said: "We started off storing them in our house. Then we had to rent a place at the East Riding Small Business Centre in Annie Reed Road, Beverley.

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"That was OK for a month but then we outgrew it so we've had to move to a bigger unit."

The Beverley couple launched Mr Hoggle Doggle last spring. Donations at drop-off boxes in supermarkets around the East Riding have included toys, games, puzzles and books.

The gifts, all in good condition, are then distributed to Yorkshire children suffering poverty, disability or sickness.

So far they have rehomed more than 14,000 toys.

Some went to Unity in Community, a charity trust in north Hull.

It supports those living in the HU6 postcode area, including Orchard Park. Project manager Dennis Woods said: "We're all belt-tightening these days and things like the toy giveaway provide a real boost for the community.

"Sometimes, toys are an easy thing to cut from the budget. An organisation like Mr Hoggle Doggle allows parents to present their children with quality rehomed toys."

Gifts come flagged for boys or girls and with suggested age groups clearly marked.

That way everyone gets something suitable.

The idea for Mr Hoggle Doggle came from Clare Allan but the name was inspired by her husband.

As a child he was told by his father Mr Hoggle Doggle could jump out if ever he ran past the family's prized grandfather clock.

Recalling how that childhood memory became the basis for a charity, Mr Allan said: "Our daughter no longer needed her toys and we thought rather than give them to a charity shop for them to sell them on, why not give them direct to children? We took them to a women's refuge.

"To be honest, it was all Clare's idea."

Now with seven East Riding collection points, the couple have truly tapped into people's generosity.

In an effort to get their toys to more needy youngsters, the charity has launched its Toy Fair initiative, aimed at community leaders and centres in disadvantaged areas.

The charity supplies free toys in bulk for local organisers to give to deserving families as they wish.

That was how Unity in Community came to be involved. Another big giveaway was at the tenth anniversary of LAFSS – the Leisure and Freetime Support Service for disabled children in Hull.

From small beginnings, Mr Hoggle Doggle now performs a vital function for East Yorkshire communities. And it's looking to expand.

Mr Allan said: "Not only do the toys reach kids that have nothing, it seems to be meeting a certain need on the donor side.

"People have contacted us to say how pleased they are to have an outlet for used toys."