Vote for Us to Give the Gift of Play
BCHC Charity needs your votes to help us provide toy-filled support bags for children living in poverty in Harborne and the neighbouring areas.
Waitrose’s Community Matters grant programme aims to help make a difference to local people, and has donated over £50 million to good causes to date. Three projects have been shortlisted in the Harborne store to receive grant awards, and BCHC Charity is one of them! Waitrose customers can vote for the project they think should take the top award of £1,500 in store.
Our project supports local vulnerable children aged 3-5 who are cared for by the NHS Health Visiting teams across Harborne and close neighbouring areas. Some of the children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation for a number of reasons including fleeing domestic violence, some have special educational needs and disabilities, and others are living in poverty with limited access to toys.
We want to supply individual support bags for each child to help their development and make them feel special when household funds are very limited. The bags will include bubble blowers, a book, sensory fidget toys, a soft ball, and colouring book and pens, all of which have been carefully chosen by the local Specialist Health Visitor Tonya Sillman. The combination of play, sensory regulation, creativity, and comfort helps to support healthy development in unstable environments. The bag allows for the toys to be portable, which is particularly important for children who may be moving between temporary accommodation or need support when they are out and about.
Tonya told us; “Giving a gift when you visit a family for the first time helps to build trust and start a positive relationship. No matter what circumstances the family faces, all children should still be able to laugh and play”.
Help us to bring a smile to these families by voting for BCHC Charity in-store to receive the funding needed to provide them with the gift of play.
Voting is open in Waitrose Harborne from Monday 3 August 2026 until the end of October (date to be confirmed). You can cast your vote using a green token given at the check-out each time you shop in-store; simply pop your token into the voting booths near the store exits.
Visit the Waitrose website to find out more about Community Matters.