Our mission is to make participation in a Christmas shoebox scheme straightforward, easy, fun and inexpensive.  We do this in a number of ways:

 

Careful Buying and Preparation

We buy in bulk and out of season to get the lowest prices.  Sales (New-Year, seasonal or closing-down) and internet wholesalers provide much of what we need, but we also have a band of knitters (for hats and glove puppets).  We even pre-print our boxes with a Christmas design.  We also like buying from other charities, where appropriate, so that two charities can benefit from a single sum of money.

 

By Subscription

For a suggested donation of £7.50, we will pack and send a shoebox with items of school stationery, toiletries, games, toys, hat & gloves and a bag of sweets.  The subscriber can specify the sex and approximate age of the intended recipient, though many people leave us to make that call based on the materials we have to hand and which groups are under-represented in the national collection schemes (typically "Teenage Boys").  We are happy to accept one-off subscriptions or provide bank details for subscribers who would like to make a monthly commitment.  Please head to the "Participate" tab for full details.

 

In Person

We hold community-based Bazaars at which adults and children alike can select a shoebox (already covered in a Christmas giftwrap design), then choose from a wide selection of stationery, toiletry, toys, games, hats, gloves, sweets and soft toys, to make a bespoke box.  Everything you will need is there at the Bazaar, often with a "Buffet Car" serving free refreshments to all visitors.  (Just so that it's clear, the free refreshments are privately funded - charity money is NOT used for the refreshments.)  We encourage donors to write a personal message to the child and place this inside the shoebox. 

 

Gift Aid

Now that we are a registered charity, we can claim Gift Aid on qualifying donations.  It means an extra 25% for us at no additional cost to you.  That equates to a lot of extra boxes and a lot of extra boxes means we can reach a lot more children in need.

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