8 worthy causes in the UK you can donate to this Christmas

12 Days of Christmas competition

To celebrate the countdown to Christmas we have launched a special festive competition to help you have a happy New Year.

Five winners of our 12 Days of Christmas winter word search will receive an engraved, hand-crafted Bailey bracelet worth £230 and a Cockburn’s Port ‘big night in’ hamper.

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All you have to do is find the letter included in the special 12 Days of Christmas content running each day in the Christmas sections of our top JPIMedia websites from December 13-24 and put them together to find a suitable word for this special time of year.

Although we know the 12 Days don’t begin until December 25 we were so excited that we thought we would start the celebrations early.

Christmas is often known as the season for giving, and after a challenging 2020 this festive season poses a great opportunity to look a little further than your immediate family and friends, and support someone in need this year.

Here are eight worthy causes in the UK you can donate to this Christmas. No matter how much or little you have spare, it will be appreciated.

CRASH Christmas Appeal

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CRASH is looking for donations to help create safe, secure and welcoming places for people who are homeless or receiving end of life care in a hospice this Christmas.

For the First and Last Christmas appeal, donors could give a homeless person a wonderful first Christmas in a place they can call home, or a child with a terminal illness the opportunity to enjoy precious time with family and friends one last time.

You can donate via their website.

The Trussell Trust food banks

The Trussell Trust runs a network of food banks across the UK, and this Christmas you can donate either a food donation or non-food item donation to help out.

The trust supports families in need of emergency food and support for people living in poverty. If you want to donate, you can deliver food in person to your local food bank, or at a supermarket collection point, or can donate online to support the food banks work.

SSAFA Christmas campaign

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SSAFA is a military charity supporting veterans and families in the military community. The charity revealed that nearly a quarter of polled service personnel are experiencing loneliness in the lead up to Christmas.

The charity provides practical and emotional support for veterans to combat loneliness this winter. You can donate via their website.

GOSH Christmas stocking appeal

The Great Ormond Street Hospital is looking for donations to help seriously ill children get back home in time for Christmas. The donations will help children in the hospital feel like they are getting a Christmas to remember whilst ill.

Donors can also leave a message to spread some Christmas cheer for the children.

The Book Trust

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The BookTrust Christmas appeal raises money to send book parcels to children who are vulnerable or in care.

Your donation could help brighten Christmas for 14,250 children who are vulnerable or in care - that's 1,800 more children than last year. And, for the first time, some parcels will be given out through community food banks to help some families who have been adversely affected by lockdowns and who are facing a difficult Christmas.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a simple way to deliver some Christmas joy to kids less fortunate than yourself. The charity delivers shoeboxes filled with a variety of gifts and treats, and you can make your own shoebox to deliver some joy yourself.

To donate, find a local dropoff point for the show boxes. Donations finish by late December.

Action for Children

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Before the pandemic hit, more than four million children in the UK were living in poverty. That’s the equivalent of nine children in every school class of 30. Action for Children looks to fill children with a bit of excitement this Christmas.

Support goes to frontline key workers that will help to pay for essentials, like food, warm clothes and a safe place to sleep, protecting children for domestic abuse, and helping to support kids with caring responsibilities.

People can become a secret Santa, and make a personalised gift to make someone’s Christmas this year.

RSPCA Christmas rescue

This Christmas the RSPCA is asking for donations of £15, £25 or £40 (or any other amount) to help answer calls to its Animal Rescue Line, keep Animal Rescue Teams on the road over Christmas, and to look after the animals in its care

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During the 2019 Christmas period, more than 2,500 animals were taken into the care of the RSPCA. Christmas is a common time for animals to be abandoned, and for owners who are struggling with the costs of looking after their animals to seek help.

You can donate via the RSPCA website