18 Dec 2025, 12:44June CoombsWatford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Joy Cometh in the Morning: Stanborough Park’s Annual Toy Service
It is at Christmas time that want is most keenly felt, and abundance rejoices. Charles Dickens wrote those words in his book ‘A Christmas Carol’ during the autumn of 1843. Yet almost two centuries later those words written in Victorian England are, sadly, still true in the 21st Century. It is exactly for this reason that members of Stanborough Park Church have been donating toys every Christmas time for over 60 years so that impoverished local families can still provide gifts for their children, enabling them to have the same sort of Christmas experience that their school friends enjoy.
For these families Christmas presents a challenge and, recognising this, staff at local children’s centres, social workers and support staff are grateful for the toys that they obtain from the church each Christmas, as are the parents who receive them. Other recipients are nominated by MIND and receive an adult’s pack of suitable goodies as do some of the mothers of the needy families.
The Annual Toy Service, which this year was held on 13th December, was started around 1962 by the late Alf Kelly who was awarded the MBE for services to the people of Watford just before he died. A big-hearted man he was concerned that some local families were unable to provide gifts for their children at Christmas and set about encouraging members to donate new toys which he would distribute himself to the needy families he was aware of (sometimes dressed at Father Christmas!). These days the event is master-minded by his daughter, Pat Walton, who is well-known to the local social services for her welfare work; someone who can always provide them with what they require for their needy clients.
The toys are spread around the platform, which also has to accommodate the orchestra as well as a grand piano! Those responsible for arranging them this year claimed that there were even more toys donated than last year – each year seems to see more – which means that there will be many local families who will be able to give their children a better (and normal) Christmas than they had expected.
The event was attended as usual by the Watford’s Elected Mayor, Peter Taylor, who gratefully accepted the toys on behalf of the local families and expressed his appreciation for how the church meets their needs throughout the year and not just at Christmas. Social and support workers attend the service and afterwards are able to choose appropriate toys for their clients from the display. Some are regular attendees, including the Chair of the local refugees’ association who always brings a ‘shopping list’ of recipients for whom he is searching for something appropriate. He says he is always amazed by the church’s generosity.
As usual, the church’s young people featured prominently in the service: as members of the orchestra; as one of the 30+ members of the Junior Choir; singing in Angel Voices, a group for the under 6’s; or delivering the scripture reading. The Pathfinders helped as usual, holding the sacks open when the children came forward to bring their gifts, adding to the large number already on display. The meditation was delivered by Pastor Don McFarlane, now retired, who spoke on the topic of ‘The Indescribable Gift’. He recalled that the first time he preached at the church he was told by a member, “We don’t do long sermons here.” He duly kept his message short and to the point!
There was one difference this year, observed by Pat in her speech as she handed over the toys to the Mayor. “Well, what a full church!” she said as she surveyed the congregation. Once again the church was full to capacity with hardly a spare seat to be found. Always a popular service, which starts the church’s Christmas Events season, numbers had fallen since the church reopened after the Covid closure but for the first time since then attendance was back to normal.
Unclaimed toys are rounded up and delivered later in the week by Pat to local children’s centres so that their clients to wrap them in time for Christmas. So, thanks to the generosity of members, displaying the true spirit of Christmas by sharing their abundance - unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, there will be joy experienced in many needy homes in the Watford area on Christmas morning when parents, with a sigh of relief, are able to share in the delight of their children as they open the presents they hadn’t expected to be able to provide.
It is at Christmas time that want is most keenly felt, and abundance rejoices. Charles Dickens wrote those words in his book ‘A Christmas Carol’ during the autumn of 1843. Yet almost two centuries later those words written in Victorian England are, sadly, still true in the 21st Century. It is exactly for this reason that members of Stanborough Park Church have been donating toys every Christmas time for over 60 years so that impoverished local families can still provide gifts for their children, enabling them to have the same sort of Christmas experience that their school friends enjoy.
For these families Christmas presents a challenge and, recognising this, staff at local children’s centres, social workers and support staff are grateful for the toys that they obtain from the church each Christmas, as are the parents who receive them. Other recipients are nominated by MIND and receive an adult’s pack of suitable goodies as do some of the mothers of the needy families.
The Annual Toy Service, which this year was held on 13th December, was started around 1962 by the late Alf Kelly who was awarded the MBE for services to the people of Watford just before he died. A big-hearted man he was concerned that some local families were unable to provide gifts for their children at Christmas and set about encouraging members to donate new toys which he would distribute himself to the needy families he was aware of (sometimes dressed at Father Christmas!). These days the event is master-minded by his daughter, Pat Walton, who is well-known to the local social services for her welfare work; someone who can always provide them with what they require for their needy clients.
The toys are spread around the platform, which also has to accommodate the orchestra as well as a grand piano! Those responsible for arranging them this year claimed that there were even more toys donated than last year – each year seems to see more – which means that there will be many local families who will be able to give their children a better (and normal) Christmas than they had expected.
The event was attended as usual by the Watford’s Elected Mayor, Peter Taylor, who gratefully accepted the toys on behalf of the local families and expressed his appreciation for how the church meets their needs throughout the year and not just at Christmas. Social and support workers attend the service and afterwards are able to choose appropriate toys for their clients from the display. Some are regular attendees, including the Chair of the local refugees’ association who always brings a ‘shopping list’ of recipients for whom he is searching for something appropriate. He says he is always amazed by the church’s generosity.
As usual, the church’s young people featured prominently in the service: as members of the orchestra; as one of the 30+ members of the Junior Choir; singing in Angel Voices, a group for the under 6’s; or delivering the scripture reading. The Pathfinders helped as usual, holding the sacks open when the children came forward to bring their gifts, adding to the large number already on display. The meditation was delivered by Pastor Don McFarlane, now retired, who spoke on the topic of ‘The Indescribable Gift’. He recalled that the first time he preached at the church he was told by a member, “We don’t do long sermons here.” He duly kept his message short and to the point!
There was one difference this year, observed by Pat in her speech as she handed over the toys to the Mayor. “Well, what a full church!” she said as she surveyed the congregation. Once again the church was full to capacity with hardly a spare seat to be found. Always a popular service, which starts the church’s Christmas Events season, numbers had fallen since the church reopened after the Covid closure but for the first time since then attendance was back to normal.
Unclaimed toys are rounded up and delivered later in the week by Pat to local children’s centres so that their clients to wrap them in time for Christmas. So, thanks to the generosity of members, displaying the true spirit of Christmas by sharing their abundance - unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, there will be joy experienced in many needy homes in the Watford area on Christmas morning when parents, with a sigh of relief, are able to share in the delight of their children as they open the presents they hadn’t expected to be able to provide.
