52 Lives

#186 Christmas Project

Request: Christmas presents

Each year, 52 Lives helps to buy Christmas presents for people who might otherwise not receive anything. Last year, we helped to buy gifts for almost 1000 people staying in refuges, homeless shelters, suffering domestic abuse, or living in deprivation.

We asked you to nominate organisations, schools or charities who work with people in need, so we could choose several to work with and provide gifts for the people they help. But, when it came time to choose between them - we simply couldn't and said yes to everyone! So, now we need your help!

HOW DOES IT WORK?
We have set up Amazon wishlists for each of the organisations, and the gifts you buy from these lists will be given to people very much in need of kindness.

WHAT DO I DO?
Click on the 'Buy a Gift' link underneath the organisation of your choice below. You will be taken to the an Amazon wishlist where you can buy a gift that will be sent straight to the organisation to give to the people who need them. For the gifts going to children this year, where possible I have chosen things that they have asked their parents / carers for.

WHERE WILL MY GIFT GO?
The gift you buy from the wishlist will be sent to the organisation, who will distribute the gifts (please don't chose the 'gift wrap' option).

These organisations have been overwhelmed that people they don't even know might consider buying gifts for the women, men and children they work with. Last year, a woman who was suffering domestic abuse said it restored her faith in humanity, that she feels 'seen' and that she wishes all of you could see her children’s faces on Christmas morning when they receive a present. Another said she felt like she had won the lottery.

Your kindness will make such big difference to the person receiving your gift...at a time when they really need it.

(Most of the gifts are priced between £10 and £20 but there are some slightly cheaper options as well. When you purchase, please don't choose the 'gift wrap' option as they need to see what the presents are to ensure they are given to the right person).

What We Need

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!
We have set up an Amazon wishlist for each of these organisations. To buy a gift, simply click on 'Buy a Gift' next to the organisation you would like to help.
(If you are unsure how to buy from an Amazon wishlist, we have produced this handy guide! PLEASE NOTE: If you can't add an item to your basket, try clicking on the item, and then adding it to your basket)

Berkshire Women's Aid
Berkshire Women’s Aid has refuges across Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell providing emergency accommodation for women in crisis. They are supporting 34 women and 20 children at the moment so we will be aiming to buy a gift for each of them. ALL GIFTS FOR BWA HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT - THANK YOU!

Emmeline's Pantry
A food bank helping women and their families in need in Manchester. They will be providing food for more than 100 families (including 200 children) this Christmas. We want to give all of them a Christmas present. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT - THANK YOU!

Splice
Splice is a Welsh charity giving emotional and social support to families in their local community. The people who attend live in an area which is disadvantaged - both socially and financially. Splice helps and gives support to families with mental health issues. The work they do helps to build self-esteem and confidence for everyone in the family. They have 46 children and 20 adults in need of gifts this Christmas. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT - THANK YOU!

Coffee 4 Craig
This charity has fed and supported homeless people in Manchester for more than 4 years. They are truly committed to practical help, and run a drop in in the town centre. They would love to be able to give presents to people who come to the drop in centre over Christmas. These are individuals who would otherwise receive nothing. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT - THANK YOU!

Hope4 (Rugby)
The Hope Centre helps homeless adults, particularly rough sleepers. Their army of volunteers and staff help to provide basic necessities such as nutritious food, shelter, showers, laundry, clothing and sleeping bags. The Hope Centre is the heart of their services and the gateway to others, with key workers providing advice and support. We would love to help them give a gift to the people staying in their shelter on Christmas Day. www. hope4.org.uk ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT- THANK YOU!

Home Start Ceredigion
The team at Home Start in Ceredigion work with vulnerable families who have children that are living in poverty, are affected by ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) such as living in a household affected by domestic violence, substance misuse or mental illness. In their words, they would love to be able to “give these children a little bit of hope this Christmas.” We want to help them to give all of these children a Christmas present, as well as several of the mums who are in need of kindness. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT - THANK YOU!

Hampden House
Hampden House is the only boarding pupil referral unit (PRU) in England. A PRU is a type of school that caters for children who aren’t able to attend a mainstream school for various reasons (for example, exclusion, emotional or behavioural difficulties, severe bullying etc.) Many of the children at the school come from very poor families, and a small number will be having a particularly tough time this Christmas. We need gifts for 10 children at the school and their families. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT- THANK YOU!

Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service
This organisation provides outreach and services to families whose lives are affected by domestic abuse. They also provide refuge accommodation for those that have had to flee their homes. For those dealing with Domestic abuse on a daily basis whether they have fled or remain in their homes, the impact can be prolific, not only does this impact on their safety and wellbeing but also on their financial and social experiences. The Service is in need of Christmas presents for 40 women and 40 children to help make this Christmas a special one. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT - THANK YOU!

Camberley All Night Cafe for the Homeless
This cafe provides a safe and warm place for homeless people in the area. They will be helping up to 30 homeless people over Christmas, and they would love to give each of them a Christmas present. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT- THANK YOU!

St Richards School
This is a school based on the edge of London with a high number of children from deprived families. We will be aiming to provide the school with 65 gifts for children they identify as needing some extra kindness this Christmas. ALL GIFTS HAVE NOW BEEN BOUGHT

WHAT WE DID

We did it! Thank you all so much for helping. What you gave was so much more than a gift - you let almost 1000 people know that they aren't alone, and that there are people out there who care about them. You gave some relief to struggling mums and dads who were so grateful to receive gifts they could give to their children, and you helped to spread so much kindness.

A big thank you to the lovely Lucinda Watson from Christmas Wrapped who raised more than £2000 for us by doing a mammoth trek in Bhutan, and by donating a percentage of her profits to 52 Lives - which helped to buy more than 200 gifts. Thank you also to Paul from The Chubby Monger for his amazing support. Paul got in touch with me just days after sadly losing his father. He wanted to do something kind for someone else, to help lift his spirits. So he bought every gift remaining from the Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service wishlist, helping so many women children going through tough times. Thank you to Baked Sensations By Kelly for offering to bake some amazing Christmas treats for the homeless men and women visiting the Camberley All Night Cafe.

And finally, thank you to every single one of you who bought a gift or helped to spread the word about our campaign (I know not everyone an afford to help financially, but helping us reach more people is just as important). Without all of you none of this would have been possible. So thank you!

Here are a just few of the messages we have received from some of the organisations and individuals you helped…

“We would just like to say a BIG thank you to all those who donated to the Centre over Christmas.
All the gifts were very much appreciated.” ~ Hope 4
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"Christmas day was a lovely event, we did a huge Christmas spread and after dinner, our homeless customers received their parcelled up gifts and were really delighted and very thankful. How much nicer to give new and quality gifts to people and the guys were really happy. Great to have your support and love 52 Lives. Thank you so much” ~ Camberley All Night Cafe

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“From all of us at Home-Start Ceredigion we would like to thank you so very, very much for the special gifts.”

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