A big-hearted Paisley schoolboy has made a huge impact in his community – after collecting toy donations for those in need this Christmas.
Lewis Thorrat, 10, has been volunteering at the Renfrewshire Toy Bank for several years and wanted to make sure every kid in the area had a present to unwrap tomorrow morning.
The West Primary pupil made it his mission to gather as many presents as possible ahead of the big day.
And inspirational Lewis was delighted with the haul of toys and money generated which, will help Renfrewshire families bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis.
He said: “It made me really sad that boys and girls my age didn’t get presents at the nice times of the year, such as Christmas, Halloween, birthdays and Easter.
“I do try and help as much as I can. A lot of them are refugees and they are from Ukraine, so I want to help them have a good Christmas.
“I started this on my own – it wasn’t my mum as I dragged her into it to help me! This year, I wrote a letter to my head teacher asking if we could do a toy drive as I am on the pupil council for my class.
“The head teacher invited me to a pupil council meeting to present my idea and they all loved it.
“We then took it to the parent council to present to them and I just spoke from the heart about what I wanted to do.”
Lewis’ ambition to collect as many donations as possible led to him not only getting fellow school pupils involved, but also his football team, Linwood’s St Convals YFC, and family members, chipping in.
He had his own safe established at the toy bank to store all the donations, and it has been filling up over the year.
Referrals in the toy bank have rocketed, as the cost-of-living crisis affects everyone, with over 2,000 made.
Indeed, the toy bank posted a video on social media stating it was out of items for teenagers or children aged three or below and needed the public’s help.
Proud West Primary head teacher Lynne McGinn was full of praise for young Lewis.
She said: “A lot of our children benefit from donations to the Renfrewshire Toy Bank, so to get involved in this with Lewis was fantastic.
“We are just bursting with pride that the pupil council took this on board and wanted to get involved.
“The letter I got with Lewis filled me with delight and to take his ideas on and push forward with them is what education is all about.
“The way the pupils have taken on the idea and taken it forward shows a real example of pupil leadership and pupil voice, and these are both things we try to instil here at West Primary School.”
Not only has Lewis won the hearts of many through his actions, he was also provided with an award – along with the Renfrewshire Toy Bank – as he was invited to accept it alongside Lauren Kemp who runs the charity.
Lewis hopes the donation drive will help Santa out this year when it comes to delivering presents – and ensure his place on the good
list.
But when asked about what he wants most, level-headed Lewis said “world peace and happiness” would be what he would ask for if he could get it.
If you would like to donate to Renfrewshire Toy Bank, visit the Facebook page – The Renfrewshire Toy Bank – or go through Paypal at www.paypal.com/paypalme/renfrewshirectb
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