FINANCIAL advice network Openwork donated toys and games worth more than £1,000 to childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish.

The Swindon-based firm, which is also the UK’s largest multi-tie mortgage and financial advice network, donated £1,200 worth of IT and play resources, including a bundle of therapeutic toys and games, as part of the Openwork Foundation Community Challenge 2014.

The donation includes Lego, books, paints, a sports day set, puppets, Playmobil sets and two new iPads.

Dom Smith, a senior practitioner at Winston’s Wish, said he was delighted that such a generous donation had been given to the charity.

He said: “We have once again been provided with an amazing array of items that we can use in our therapeutic work with bereaved children.

“The toy ambulances, for instance, can help young children understand the story of death and replay events so they’re empowered to explain their experiences.

“The iPads allow us to point to different games, activities and resources online that can help grow children’s confidence again. These items will make such a difference to the work that we do with families.”

The Openwork Foundation is part of Zurich Community Trust and their challenges, which started in 1990, are among the largest corporate charity programmes in the UK.

Every year, Zurich and Openwork encourage organisations local to its main offices to challenge their staff to help make a difference.

Zurich and Openwork Community Challenge initiatives have supported Winston’s Wish for more than ten years, and this year’s challenge was to raise enough money to buy resources to help the children supported by the charity. Openwork were handed a wish-list of items by Winston’s Wish and bought every item.

For more information on Winston’s Wish, visit www.winstonswish.org.uk.