Unclaimed toys donated to The Salvation Army Appeal

• More than 400 new children's toys and games donated
• TfL urges passengers to keep hold of their possessions during the busy festive period

Transport for London's (TfL's) Lost Property Office has donated more than 400 new children's toys and games to The Salvation Army in support of their Christmas Present Appeal.

The donation, now in its ninth year, includes a wide variety of toys that were found on the TfL network but remained unclaimed for more than three months. Traditional favourites such as teddy bears, dolls and board games were included, alongside modern gifts such as remote controlled cars, helicopters and other electronic gadgets.

The Salvation Army will work with local care services in south London, including those from Lewisham Council, to distribute the toys among disadvantaged families and children who may otherwise go without this Christmas.

Paul Cowan, Operations Performance Manager at TfL's Lost Property Office, said:

'It's a pleasure to once again be able to donate so many new toys at a time of year when they will be most appreciated. By supporting the Salvation Army in their Christmas Present Appeal, hopefully we can make life that little bit easier for some families who are experiencing hardship.

'The team at the Lost Property Office work exceptionally hard all year round to reunite owners with their property. The thought of hundreds of children smiling at Christmas as the result of something we have done is hugely gratifying.'

Captain Kevin Stanbury, leader of The Salvation Army's Deptford Church and Community Centre, said:

'The genuine impact that this donation will make cannot be overstated. Working with marginalised and vulnerable families, we know only too well the difficulties many face in attaining even a basic level of shelter, food and clothing at this time of year, let alone in providing gifts for their children at Christmas.

'What makes this appeal special is the fact that we can engage parents in the whole process of selecting, boxing, wrapping and presenting these new toys at Christmas, thereby preserving their dignity at the same time as bringing a little joy to their family. We are extremely grateful to the team at TFL's Lost Property Office for supporting our work.'

Last year, over 300,000 items of lost property were found on TfL's transport services, including London Buses, London Underground, London Overground, TfL Rail, the Docklands Light Railway, licensed taxis, Victoria Coach Station and the Emirates Air Line. Of these, around one in five (21 per cent) were successfully returned to their owners. For high value and identifiable items such as cameras, laptops, briefcases and tablets, the restoration rate was more than forty per cent.

Items not claimed after three months have personal data removed and securely destroyed before either being donated to charities including The Salvation Army, Scope and the British Red Cross, recycled, disposed of, or sold at auction. Any revenue generated from unclaimed items contributes towards the cost of running the Lost Property Office.

As the busy festive season approaches, passengers are urged to take extra care of their belongings when using TfL services and to report any suspicious items or behaviour to a member of staff or a police officer.

For more information about the Lost Property Office, please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/lostproperty

Notes to Editors:

• Images of this year's donation are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tflpress/albums/72157659941698493
• Historic images of the Lost Property Office are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tflpress/sets/72157646845992663/
• The top ten items received by the Lost Property Office during April 2014-March 2015 were:

• Toys which are used or not in a new condition are still donated to the LPO's charities throughout the year
• The LPO receives over twelve hundred items of property per day from across TfL's services
• Property normally takes between two and ten working days to arrive at the LPO
• If a name and address or e-mail address is found on the property, the potential owner is contacted and told that the LPO may have their item of property. This occurs for around 10 per cent of all items found.
• Customers can enquire about lost property in several ways:

• By filling in an online enquiry form found here: https://tfl.gov.uk/forms/12411.aspx
• By calling 0343 222 1234 between 8:30 and 16:00, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays)
• In person or by writing to:

Lost Property Office
200 Baker Street
London
NW1 5RZ

• Items not claimed after three months have personal data removed and securely destroyed before either being donated to charity including The Salvation Army, Scope and the British Red Cross, or are recycled, disposed of, or sold at auction.
• Goods sent for auction are done so without reference to TfL or the Lost Property Office. There is no specific lost property auction that people can attend or bid on.
• An administration fee of between £4 and £20 is payable for the return of items
• Any revenue generated from fees and the sale of unclaimed items contributes towards the cost of running the LPO.
• The Salvation Army is a worldwide Christian church and registered charity, working in 126 countries, offers unconditional friendship, support and practical help to people of all ages, backgrounds and needs. Registered Charity Nos 214779, 215174, in Scotland SC009359, SC037691, and in Ireland CHY6399.
• The Salvation Army's Christmas Present Appeal runs until 15 December nationally. People are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys at local drop-off points. For details, please visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/christmas-present-appeal or email christmas@salvationarmy.org.uk