Scouse TikTok star launches a shoebox appeal to help Liverpool kids this Christmas

A Scouse TikTok star is launching a shoebox appeal to help kids in Liverpool this Christmas.

James Foley has become a full-time LGBT influencer after videos of him and his then partner went viral during lockdown.

Now he wants to use his platform for good, and get his thousands of followers involved in making Christmas a bit more special for children in the city.

He explained:

“I’ve done some charity work before so this summer I decided I wanted to do something for kids in Liverpool who might miss out or not get as much as others,”

“I remembered filling shoeboxes when I was at school, for kids in Africa, so that was what made me think about the idea.

“I spoke to my mum, and she said how much she used to love creating the shoeboxes. We did it for about five years and we even went to the packing sites and saw them being made up. 

“I thought, why don’t I do it again but for Liverpool kids? I spoke to a couple of friends, I put it on Instagram to a few close followers and they said, ‘do it’.”

Getting your name and face out there so widely on social media can attract negative comments, but 27-year-old James is determined to use it to spread positivity.

He’s teamed up with BOXPARK, who’ve offered free use of space for three shoebox packing days, on December 1, 2 & 3, and he’s also partnered with the Rainbow Toffees which is a community of LGBTQ+ Blues fans, to help spread the word and increase donations.

James, who lives in south Liverpool, says since he did a soft launch for the appeal, he’s had a great response from followers and fellow influencers.

“We’ve already got lots of volunteers on board and businesses around the city have offered to be drop-off points for people who want to make boxes up themselves or donate items to go into boxes which will then be packed at BOXPARK.

“I’ve set up an Amazon Wish List to make it easier for everyone to donate things and it means people from outside Liverpool can get involved and support the appeal too. I’m also doing Facebook raffles to raise money to buy things like pyjamas, socks and slippers.”

James has split his shoeboxes into boys and girls, with age groups covering 0-3, 3-5, 5-7, 7-9, 9-11 and 11-16.

For anyone who hasn’t made one before, there’s a recommended list of items including stationery, small toys, bath products, and arts and craft materials as well as slippers and pyjamas. 

Filled shoeboxes will be picked up from the drop-off points, taken to BOXPARK to be checked for age appropriate and safe content then wrapped before being distributed to children’s homes, children’s hospices, youth centres and foodbanks in plenty of time for Christmas.

So far there are four drop-off points:

The Liverpool pub on James Street in the city centre, The Grenadier pub in Halewood, Cleaning Hub on Broad Lane, L11 and Tuebrook Hope Centre on Buckingham Road.

People can also volunteer to get involved on packing days at the beginning of December – just keep an eye on James’ socials for updates on times. 

Find out more here.

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