A Croydon shopping centre is encouraging local children to donate a toy to charity in exchange for a mother's day gift.

At Centrale & Whitgift's mother's day to exchange, kids are invited to hand in a pre-loved toy in exchange for a gift bag for their mum or another loved one.

All of the toys collected will be donated to Rutherford School, part of The Garwood Foundation, a specialist independent school for pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

As a thank you for their generosity, the first 70 kids who donate a toy will be given an exclusive gift bag packed full of sweet treats, mini pamper kits and beauty samples from our retailers including The Body Shop, House of Fraser, Thorntons and Superdrug.

David Ordman, General Manager at Centrale said: “Mother’s Day presents the perfect opportunity to make your mum feel special and while we know most kids would love to buy their mum a treat, sometimes the pocket money doesn’t stretch that far.

“That’s why we decided to launch The Mother’s Day Toy Exchange – to give kids the chance to get their hands on a gift for mum while giving back to charity and donating any toys to local children who might be less fortunate. We’re proud to be partnering with The Rutherford School and to support the amazing work they do in the city.”

Karin Schnabel, a representative of the Garwood Foundation that runs Rutherford School said: “We’re so grateful to everyone at Centrale & Whitgift for thinking of us for the Mother’s Day Toy Exchange – what a wonderful way to celebrate the amazing families in Croydon. Rutherford School caters for children aged 3-19 with profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex medical needs so every toy donated will go a long way for our families.”

The events will take place outside the Debenhams store in Centrale & Whitgift on March 28.