THE spirit of giving is in the air this Christmas after the Yorkshire Air Museum launched its Christmas Toy Appeal.

The museum, at Elvington, launched its appeal with the support of the York Teaching Hospital Charity.

This featured the switch-on of the 4,000 lights on the museum's spectacular 13ft Christmas tree.

The toys that are donated to the museum will be passed to the children's ward at York Hospital.

Ian Richardson, head of memorials, heritage and media communications, explained: “The idea is quite simple really in that we are turning the focus of Christmas in the minds of our younger visitors to the act of giving, rather than receiving. We are encouraging them to bring a new toy to the museum to be donated to the children’s ward at York Hospital. This reflects the gesture of goodwill by the Mechanics Section of the French Squadrons based at RAF Elvington, who on Christmas Eve 1944, delivered over 200 hand-made toys to the Mansion House for the sick and needy children of the city.”

For every new, boxed toy donated, either by a child or adult, the donor will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and a mince pie as a gesture of thanks.

The types of gifts that the children’s ward will welcome are easily wipeable items such as plastic Barbie dolls, action figures, colouring books and pens, wipeable hard books, jigsaws and toys such as play telephones, screens, shape boxes, etc.

They can't take anything made of wood, however. For more details, visit www.yorkshireairmuseum.org