Inside the Manchester 'Willy Wonka' warehouse making sure kids don't go without this Christmas

Hidden away down a Deansgate side street is an unassuming Edwardian building. Its stone frontage simply says ‘Manchester and Salford Street Childrens Mission’.

It’s an inaccurate name, now. And not just because the organisation inside has rebranded since it was built in 1905.

It’s inaccurate because the joy and delight which emanates from the Mission means that title should be a lot less austere — because this is the closest thing Manchester has to Willy Wonka’s factory.

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The building is occupied by Wood Street Mission, which has supported kids in poverty from Manchester and Salford for 154 years, starting out in 1869. It runs various campaigns every year, including ‘Family Basics’, ‘Books Forever’, ‘Childhood Experiences’, and ‘Smart Start’.

But only one of those campaigns completely takes over the three-storey building. That is its Christmas toy shop.

Every year, thousands of new toys are donated to the charity, which then sorts them into age group category, and finally three sticker colours — red is premium, yellow is medium, and green is small.

The whole operation is managed by volunteers, and inside the four walls, there is a hive of activity when the Manchester Evening News visits. To continue the chocolate analogy, they’re the Oompa Loompas — beavering away fastidiously.

During the M.E.N.’s visit, staff from companies like Booking.com, First Central, Legal HD, and Bethell are giving their time to help the operation run smoothly. Every child will get at least three toys, plus