A big-hearted retired couple from Peterborough have donated over 100 cuddly toys they’ve won at seaside amusement arcades to their local hospice in the hope of supporting families needing care.
Roy and Ann Pettitt, aged 75 and 76, won the cuddly toys from crane machines on seaside trips and holidays over the years but are moving home and say they no longer have space for them.
Instead, they are donating the toys to a new home where they can do some good.
“My wife and I have been playing the cranes at various seaside places over the years and have accumulated hundreds of soft toys,” shares Roy. “As we are moving from our bungalow to a retirement flat we are not able to take them with us.
“As the toys are all new, as won from the seaside cranes, we wanted to donate them to Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in the hope they could be used to raise vital funds for the charity, which we have always supported.”
The couple struck it lucky on the toy cranes for over 40 years at amusements while holidaying or day tripping in a number of seaside resorts including Hunstanton, Tenby and Wicksteed Park.
“It has been good fun and holds many happy memories for us,” adds Roy. “We used to come home with carrier bags full of cuddly toys. I can remember once we won nine of these furry dogs from one machine. It was quite embarrassing emptying the machine and walking out with armfuls of furry cuddly dogs!”
After grandchildren took their pick of the pair’s ‘plush’ winnings, Roy and Ann kept the cuddly toys in their loft in plastic boxes. They were surprised to find on having a clear out ten years ago that they had amassed 250 toys over 40 years, so they decided to use them to raise funds at their local fete.
“About ten years ago we had a fete in the village and we thought we would donate some of the furry animals,” added Roy. “We chose 125 of the toys and held a stall for a pound a go and a prize every time. We had huge queues and had sold out after only half an hour. We donated half of the funds to Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice and the other half to our local church.
“After that we said we wouldn’t do the cranes again but one day we were in Hunstanton and I spotted a crane that looked like we could win something from. We put the money in, we got one and we carried on playing the machines for another ten years.”
Roy says they don’t have any favourites and that they don’t go looking for a certain type of toy when they are in the amusements, but look out for cranes that look promising.
“It really is a case of you win them or you don’t. Years ago there was a fair bit of skill involved, you had to position the crane and grabber just so over toy and there was a bit of skill in that to get it to drop into the winner’s slot.
“These days it is not like that, the machines have a device which selects a percentage of winners.”
Both Roy and Ann put their hand to trying to win a prize on the machines but they say neither one of them is luckier than the other.
However, they hope their prize-winning luck over the years will help support people needing the care of Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.
“We hope the toys will raise funds via raffles or being sold so the charity can use the funds as they need to, or maybe they can be given to visiting children who might appreciate a cuddly toy. We don’t mind really – we just want them to support Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.”
And the couple’s advice for anyone looking to win themselves a cuddly toy on the cranes?
“The thing to look out for is the machine which has a few gaps in it, which means someone has actually won something. If it looks like somebody has won from a machine then you might get something from it as well!”
Helen Kingston is Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice. She said, “It was an absolute delight to receive the fabulous furry donation of cuddly toys from Roy and Ann recently. You can’t fail to smile when you see the brightly coloured toys all lined up together.”
“At Sue Ryder we believe that the end of someone’s life is the most important time of their life and our care teams do all they can to make room for the things that matter – spending time with loved ones and sharing memories.”
“It’s truly fitting that Roy and Ann’s donation of cuddly toys which they’ve won while making special memories by the seaside over the years are now helping to raise vital funds so we can be there when it matters for local families.”
To find out more about the ways you can support Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice email the fundraising team at thorpe.fundraising@sueryder.org or call 01733 225 999.
For more information on Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice visit www.sueryder.org/thorpe.
