An Andover charity has thanked residents after raising hundreds of pounds in its latest fundraiser.

Andover Clothing Exchange, based at the former Dorothy Perkins unit on the high street, revealed it had raised over £300 with its ‘Big Toy Event’ after totting up the income from the day, with over 100 families coming and filling up their bags with toys.

Tania Hall, the charity’s founder, said: “If you were in town you would have seen what an amazing success and ‘toyrific’ time we had at our Big Toy Event.

“By 11am the floor was bare - over laden parents and beaming children everywhere you looked in town.”

“We are planning another Clothing Exchange, along with a Baby Bump to Yummy Mummy event and will certainly plan another Big Toy Event again soon. Thank you so much to all who supported us.”

The shop, which is normally full of clothes, was cleared ahead of the event and filled with donated toys for Andover residents. Ahead of the event, there was a queue of families reaching up the high street towards Clarks, such was the demand.

The doors opened at 10am, with supply being outstripped by the demand and most of the items gone within the hour. With each family paying £3 to enter, and encouraged to take what they needed, families received plenty of toys.

The Big Toy Event follows a series of reports by the Advertiser that the store was being vandalised, with staff subjected to abuse as windows were smashed and accesses rendered unusable.

A variety of partners came together in an effort to tackle the incidents, which saw the alleged perpetrators confronted by police. Hampshire Constabulary have since pledged more patrols in Andover as part of a new strategy to tackle anti-social behaviour in the town centre and elsewhere.