The festive season should be a time of joy. But this year, whilst trying to recover from the pandemic and struggling with the rising cost of living, many families in Newham are having to make heartbreaking decisions on whether to put food on the table or warm up their home or watch their child wake up on Christmas morning to no gifts, through no fault of their own.

That’s why we’re inviting you to support our Christmas Joy Appeal and help us gift joy to a child in need!

Newham already has the highest number of children living in poverty of any London borough. Now due to the cost of living crisis, even more families are struggling. Through our work we know many families face increased hardship, or no recourse to public funds. Others struggle with longstanding challenges from domestic abuse to long-term illness. That’s why your generosity would make a world of difference to vulnerable children and their families. 

Stacey, our Children and Families Project Director, says “Every year we meet parents struggling to give their children the Christmas they’d hoped for, and this year is looking more challenging than ever because of the Cost of Living Crisis. But with your support, we can ease some of the pressure for parents and bring a smile to children’s faces with an unexpected gift!”

Will you be there for your community this Christmas by making a donation today? We’ll use the money to buy carefully chosen, age-appropriate gifts for children aged 0 to 17 living in poverty

Last Christmas families were greeted by Santa Claus at our Community Centre to collect their gifts. Feedback we’ve had included: 

• M said, “We really appreciate your kindness towards us.”
• E said, “My kids love the toys… my daughter was really tired but then saw the music toy and was very excited. Thank you for considering my children.”

Donation Christmas Card
If you are donating on behalf of a loved one, you can give them a card to say so! Please Once you’ve donated, add a Message with your postal address for us to send you a physical card or your email address for an e-card.

Thank you!

 We are so grateful for your support. We also know that times are tough for many so if you are not in a position to give, we completely understand. Please help us by sharing our appeal link instead! This can be through your emails, social media or whatsapp to your friends and family.

Further information

Please note that due to logistics we are unable to accept physical donations of toys this year.

If we raise enough money, we will also purchase smaller treats for festivals next year such as Easter and Ramadan to help build longer-term relationships with families in poverty. In the event we raise more money than we need, we will allocate it to our wider work supporting children and families.

Our people stories are inspired by real examples from our work, however names and personal details may be changed to protect privacy. The photos used on this page are from our families work last year and do not represent the people described in the stories.