Children’s birthdays can become fraught with worries about gifts. What to buy? How much to spend? What if they already have it? What if they don’t like it? We chat to a family who solved all these problems by using Patchwork to set up a birthday fund so that a special 8 year old could buy the one thing he was dreaming of. A new Nintendo Switch of course! We chat to mum Caroline who explains why it worked so well for them.
Tell us a bit about the birthday boy.
Caroline: Jonty has just turned 8 and loves football and Minecraft and annoying his little sister Verity who is 5. We are a family of four living in North Hampshire. The family also includes an incredibly stupid Golden Retriever called Alan and a menace of a cat called Treacle.
Why did you want to set up a birthday Patchwork page for Jonty?
Jonty has been desperate for a Nintendo Switch for over a year and has been saving up his pocket money but was nowhere near! So we suggested he use Patchwork to help him get there. We were also conscious that he has so many things already – we literally can’t fit another piece of lego in this house. So we set up a Patchwork gift page for a Nintendo Switch and some games to get him started.
How easy was it to set up the Patchwork page?
So easy, we broke up the cost of all the bits and games he wanted into smaller chunks so it worked for friends and family on different budgets as well.
What did you like most about using Patchwork for a birthday gift?
We didn’t have to try and squeeze any more lego in the house! Plus it was really good for Jonty to start to understand how much things cost and the concept of working towards something and how the people who loved him wanted to contribute to it.
What was the response from friends and family to gifting online?
They were amazing. It was especially welcomed from family in the US and his godfather in Australia – who can’t wait to come over and play Mario Kart with him. The grandparents were a bit discombobulated at first and we had to talk my Mother in Law through it but she got there in the end.
When did Jonty first see his Patchwork gift and what was his reaction?
He spent the week before his birthday wondering whether he had been given enough money, and when we would be able to go and buy it. Not knowing that the total had already exceeded what he needed and we had already bought it plus 2 new games and a carry case for it. So when he opened his present on his birthday he nearly popped!
Thanks so much Jonty and Caroline for sharing your very happy birthday story with us. We’re so happy to see that Patchwork helped make your dream come true Jonty. We hope you have lots of fun being 8!
If you’d like to set up a Patchwork gift page for a birthday or Christmas gift that’s really wanted we’d love to help. Check out some of our brilliant birthday gift ideas and cool Christmas ideas and have a play around!
