'No toy will be left behind' at Somerset motorway service stations this Christmas

A new service is aiming to reunite youngsters with their favourite toys lost during festive motorway service stops. Roadchef says it wants to ensure "no toy is left behind" this Christmas - and it means parents won't need to come up with a creative cover story.

The "Toy Recovery Service" has a dedicated online form where parents can report a lost toy and Roadchef says it will also publicise any lost toys found at its service stations across social media channels and online. Once a toy is found, the firm has promised to arrange for its safe return, either through pickup from the service station or delivered to a family's home address.

It has launched the initiative after surveying parents and finding that 90% have lost their child’s toy. Almost half admitted to telling tall tales to explain it away, with stories like “the fairy took it,” “it went on holiday,” and “it’s off to help Father Christmas".

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Roadchef said 40% of the 500 parents polled said they would travel outside their town or city to get the toy back and nearly a quarter (24.8%) would pay hundreds of pounds to retrieve it. Some parents say they would even go to extraordinary lengths, with 5% willing to cross the country and a dedicated 1% happy to travel abroad.

Mark Fox, CEO at Roadchef said: “Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but not one that doesn’t come without its stresses. All parents will know the dread of losing their child’s beloved toy and it can quickly turn a happy journey into a difficult one.

"With our Toy Recovery Service, we hope to bring peace of mind to parents using our services during the Christmas period and ensure no toy is left behind."

For more information on the Toy Recovery Service, visit https://www.roadchef.com/christmas-at-roadchef/toy-recovery-service