LOCAL toy shop, The Toy Planet, is hosting a special Christmas charity tournament of the popular Japanese card game, Yu-Gi-Oh!, with a twist – to enter, you must donate three items of food to Melksham Foodbank.
The event takes place this Sunday, 19th December, from 1pm in the shop on Bank Street, and players of all skill levels are welcome to compete.
“Have fun and duel for a good cause!” say The Toy Planet’s Kayleigh Rose and Barry Howard. “This will be a friendly relaxed tournament with a skill range from beginner upwards. Special ‘Official Tournament Store’ packs of cards are up for grabs to win, and Christmas packs too can be won.
“Instead of an entry fee, every player brings exactly three donations of non-perishable food for Melksham Foodbank. These donations become their lifelines, one of which will be put forward for each round played. The winner of the match receives the loser’s donation.
At the end of the tournament, duelists exchange their winnings for the same amount of ‘Official Tournament Store’ packs. The food donations are then given to Melksham Foodbank.
About why they have been inspired to organise the charity event, Kayleigh Rose and Barry said, “We’ve only been trading for a year, so this is another opportunity for us to engage more with the community, thank them for their ongoing support through the pandemic, and give back. People can also come along and watch too and find out what all the fuss is about.”
The Christmas charity event follows on from the success of the recent Yu-Gi-Oh! regional qualifiers of the World Championship, held at the Assembly Hall – the biggest regional event of the tournament so far.
The Toy Planet also hosts a weekly locals’ Yu-Gi-Oh! league every Sunday in the shop.
“Interest in Yu-Gi-Oh! is going nuts at the moment, said Barry and Kayleigh Rose, “it’s a great way to bring people together, meet new people, have a chat, and of course, play the game. We have a great bunch of people that come here to play – and such a vast age group too, from as young as 8 up to people in their mid-thirties. It’s a game for all ages.”
Yu-Gi-Oh! is the number one trading card game in the world with over 25 billion cards sold. It was developed and published by Konami and is based on the fictional game of Duel Monsters, created by a manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, which appears in portions of the manga franchise of the same name.
For more information about The Toy Planet’s Yu- Gi-Oh! local league, visit the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheToyPlanetWilts/
