Players and staff from the Widnes Wild club took on the role of Santa Claus for the day as they distributed donated toys to good causes on Merseyside in the run up to Christmas.
The gifts had all been collected at the club’s annual Teddy Toss event, which took place during the Wild’s home game against Whitley Warriors on 9th December. It is part of a world-wide ice hockey tradition and, as soon as the first goal is scored, spectators are invited to throw their soft toys onto the ice where they are then gathered up for distribution.
For health and safety reasons, toys to be given to children have to be new, securely wrapped and undamaged but no donations go to waste as any used or damaged toys are taken to an animal shelter for homeless pets to play with.
In all, 133 soft toys were donated at the Teddy Toss and the recipients this year were Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Carla Lane Animals in Need, both in Liverpool.
