Charity Christmas gifts for children and young people across Essex
***Edited 18 December to include a last-minute gift request for 111 gifts!***
Every year, our annual Kids Inspire appeal gets bigger, and this year we have wrapped and delivered 3,374 charity Christmas gifts, all alongside, over 900 food hampers for families across Essex.
Volunteers and supporters make the magic happen
This year’s charity Christmas gifts appeal was another bittersweet operation which simply wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible supporters and partner organisations. From heartfelt donations to carefully chosen gifts and food hampers, every contribution made a difference.
We are so thankful to the 251 dedicated volunteers who contributed a remarkable 1,251.5 hours (the equivalent of 167 days of volunteering!) of wrapping, sorting, and delivering to bring smiles and joy to children and young people in need.
Nominations: Meeting growing needs amid rising challenges
Volunteer Shelley (bottom left) with the Business Team
Christmas remains an especially difficult time for many families, a reality further intensified by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Recent data highlights that 14.4 million people were living in poverty in the UK, including 4.2 million children, as reported by The Big Issue in October 2023.
Speaking about this year’s Kids Inspire Christmas Appeal, Siobhan Drew, our wonderful Christmas Appeal Co-ordinator said:
“The Christmas Appeal is a bittersweet time of year. Each day we feel the love and compassion from our supporters, both old and new. This year one of our donors told us ‘I donated because when I was young my family were the recipients of similar support at Christmas, it meant the world to us back then. Now I can, I am happy to give back.’
Hearing the reasons why we have received gift and hamper nominations can be hard; from financial difficulties to homelessness and poor mental health, families nominated have been caught in a relentless cycle of hardship, worsened by the ongoing cost of living crisis. Yet, thanks to the tireless effort of our team and supporters, we’ve been able to fulfil all requests ensuring that it's been yet another record-breaking year. It’s heartwarming to see how this operation brings hope and joy to so many during a challenging time.”
Nominations for the Christmas Appeal
Essex Cricket Club delivering gifts to Kings Road Primary School, Chelmsford
Each year, nominations pour in from around 120 schools and nurseries across all 14 districts of Essex, as well as from social workers, fellow charitable organisations, and our own dedicated team of therapists.
The stories we hear from recipients of gifts and hampers are deeply moving and validate every ounce of effort, time, and resource given to the appeal. One parent, nominated by a school, shared:
“This was the first time in years that I felt like we had a real Christmas, thanks to the kindness of strangers.”
It’s not always possible to hear directly from children and families, but the gratitude from the people who nominate is always humbling:
Tesco collection
“Thanks to the unwavering support of the Christmas Appeal the festive season is filled with hope and relief for many struggling families who are facing some of the hardest challenges imaginable. It’s moments like these that remind us of the power of community and the lasting impact of a simple gift. Through this wonderful appeal, these families experience the magic of Christmas -something they might have otherwise missed.” – Essex Primary School
The anecdotes and heartfelt thanks we receive mean so much to us that we’ve dedicated an entire page on our website.
Behind the scenes: From collection to delivery
Collections and donations: A true community effort
Siobhan and Alison with gifts galore from shoppers at Dunelm
First and foremost, a huge thank you to everyone in our amazing community who took the time to drop off so many gifts.
Support has poured in from all corners of Essex, with individual supporters and corporate partners coming together. Examples like Dunelm and Tesco, who both hosted Christmas tree gift collections. And multiple local businesses who told us that they had swapped their staff Secret Santa gifts for donations to the appeal – yes, multiples had the same lovely idea – meant that we could meet demand this year.
We also received welcome support from long-term supporters, Ambassador Lane Line and the ‘Sleigh Belles’, who always go above and beyond within their local communities to help our appeal.
A touching moment was hearing from children who chose to donate, wanting others to feel the same Christmas they do. One seven-year-old even included a note with their Amazon delivery, saying:
“I wanted to make sure other people get to have something special for Christmas Day.”
Young ‘Sleigh Belles’
Team Lane Line and Sleigh Belles with their gift donations
237 festive food hampers!
This year, thanks to the kindness received, delivery drivers brought in a record number of gifts from our ‘Wishlist’. Whenever our gift store started to run low, we posted on social media, and support always came through.
Whether gathering gifts or organising hampers, every contribution has made a big difference in helping those children and families in need.
Wrapping: The heart of the operation
Wrapping volunteers!
Selecting the perfect gifts from our meticulous age group-organised store – a huge thanks to our amazing volunteer Shelley, who dedicates countless hours to keep everything in order during the appeal – is a crucial part of what we do.
Wrapping isn’t just about presentation; it’s about thoughtful preparation. Each child’s gift is carefully paired with presents for their siblings, young and old, ensuring every member of the family feels the magic. For those in need, food hampers are lovingly included.
More volunteers wrapping gifts
This operation runs on the energy and commitment of our volunteers – individuals and corporates, people from all walks of life coming together to help. Every one of the 1,251.5 hours spent by them has made a difference and is deeply appreciated. Thank you all for giving your time to make this possible!
Gift store shopping!
Deliveries: making magic happen
One of the most vital steps in fulfilling the appeal’s demand is the logistical challenge of delivering gifts across the 14 districts of Essex. Thanks to the incredible support from individuals as well as local businesses, including Essex and Suffolk Water, Horizon Parking and AEJ Management, we were able to manage this task smoothly.
Businesses loaning drivers and vehicles - doubling as elves and sleighs - meant that we could load up vans at HQ and send them off to even the most distant locations in Essex. Their patience and dedication to the safe arrival of gifts made the magical job of delivery possible. We are incredibly grateful!
Financial donations: The backbone of the appeal
Financial donations continue to be essential in covering core costs. Throughout the appeal, they were used to ‘top-up’ gifts for any age group and helped us to meet the additional demand.
We were lucky to receive financial support from individuals and businesses including:
Bond Residential (match funding campaign)
Monday Charitable Trust (Big Give match funding campaign)
and everyone in the community that donated via our Just Giving page!
Horizon deliveries
This year we also took part in the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge, which raised over £10,000 towards our appeal. Thanks to huge support we smashed our target within a few days, which then led to an extension match funding appeal thanks to more welcome support.
Additional funding helps the Christmas Appeal in more ways than one, not only does it ‘top-up’ on any missing gifts, but it also helps us to make sure the Christmas Appeal can take place year after year – logistically, planning for the appeal starts as soon as one year is wrapped up!
That’s a wrap!
The Christmas Appeal is truly a collective effort from staff, volunteers, corporate partners, and the wider Essex community (and even beyond!). Every contribution, big or small, is invaluable.
In addition to outside support, we could not have achieved this without the tireless work of colleagues like Siobhan, Emma, Lucie, and Louise.
Behind the scenes, they work relentlessly to ensure the smooth running of the appeal - creating the Amazon Wishlist, coordinating deliveries, liaising with schools, social workers and other professionals, and managing our dedicated volunteers. These are just a few of the many tasks they took on to bring the appeal to life.
As we wrap up the year’s appeal, we’re finishing with a handful of deliveries left and a few gifts to be collected. Thank you to everyone who contributed, volunteered, and supported us in making this year’s appeal a bittersweet success!
Huge thanks to our supporters who gifted in various ways:
Neotek gift collection
Baker Labels volunteers (with Kids Inspire bespoke ‘Baker’ printed paper!)
Stonebond volunteers
Donations from Laser Electrical
Serendipity Nursery, Basildon
Donations and volunteer wrapping from CJG Beauty
Thanks to Porsche, Colchester for gifts
Thanks to SOBI for gift donations
Thanks too, to the businesses that gifted their time to volunteer to wrap and deliver gifts:
Volunteers from Cala Homes
Volunteer from HSBC
Birketts gift donations
Gifts and Hampers from The RNW Group
Utilize volunteers
Donations from embpapst
Lauren with a delivery from St Cedds
Elite Fire Solutions dropping gifts
Barker Associates volunteering
Essex and Suffolk Water helped with deliveries and donations
Huge thanks to all the hundreds of gifts donated by individuals in person, or via our wishlist. We couldn’t do it without you all
Thanks too to ‘Miss Colchester Galaxy’ and her followers! A great seletion of gifts, that we know were purchased with love.
The Christmas Appeal in the news
Each year we receive various mentions across in the media. This year we are proud to have been featured as the charity spotlight in the popular Puddle magazine, please turn to page 28 for the full story. Thanks again to our friends at Puddle Magazine for the mention, we are certain it helped to raise awareness of our work.