St Christopher’s Christmas Appeal has smashed its target and raised £22,000 for young people in care and care leavers.

Christmas can be a difficult time for young people in care, and care leavers who are not able to spend the day with their family can feel very lonely. However at St Christopher’s, with the help of our generous supporters, we were able to make Christmas special for our children and young people.

Our staff helped children write letters to Santa, laid on plenty of festive food and organised Christmas parties – including a winter wonderland themed one, complete with a Snow Queen. And thanks to supporters, our children and young people had lots of gifts to unwrap on Christmas Day.

At our home for young people aged 16+ in Lewisham, former residents often come back to visit and Christmas was no different. They joined in with Christmas activities, including lunch and a party with staff and friends. The home’s team leader Rad said: “It was a wonderful time and, thanks to the generous people who donated to the appeal, our residents will have unforgettable memories.”

At our 16+ home in Twickenham the young people had breakfast together on Christmas Day before visiting friends and family, and had lunch together on Boxing Day. Support worker Ella said: “It was lovely to see all the residents smiling and laughing over Christmas. I know the residents were nervous about Christmas time but they all really enjoyed themselves which was fantastic to see.”

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to our appeal, including those who delivered Christmas gifts to the young people in our homes. A big thank you to: Scotiabank, M Moser Associates and JLT for their donations, and Positively Putney for helping to promote the appeal.

If you’d like to support the work of St Christopher’s, you can read more about how donations make a difference to the children and young people in our care.