Baby bank charity Little Village has just launched its Christmas appeal, Light Up Christmas. The charity, which is supported by the Princess of Wales, is calling on people to donate money to help provide Christmas gift vouchers for the 2,250 children it will support in November and December.
The charity - who have also teamed up with HELLO! for an amazing charity campaign with Strictly's Kym Marsh - has set up a fundraising page where people can donate money which will be used to buy supermarket gift vouchers for Christmas. Every donation will be doubled, thanks to the Childhood Trust and a generous donor, who are both helping Little Village to reach its fundraising goal.
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This is the first time the charity has provided families with supermarket vouchers for Christmas. In previous years it has given gifts or toy shop vouchers to families.
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Little Village's CEO, Sophie Livingstone, said of the campaign: "This Christmas may be one of the hardest for many of the families we support. The cost-of-living crisis is putting a huge strain on families in poverty, with many telling us they barely have enough money to pay the bills and buy food, let alone buy Christmas presents for their children."
Little Village has just launched its Christmas appeal, Light Up Christmas
"By sending supermarket vouchers, we are giving families a choice over how they spend the money, many will undoubtedly buy presents, but we know that others will choose to put food on the table this Christmas."
In addition to the vouchers, the Light Up Christmas appeal aims to raise money for Little Village's work in 2023 when the charity anticipates supporting more than 9,000 children.
The charity is calling on people to donate money to help provide Christmas gift vouchers for children
Little Village runs a network of baby banks across London, providing clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of five. It accepts excellent quality, pre-loved items and passes them on to families needing extra support.
The charity is supported by the Princess of Wales
2022 has been the busiest year on record for Little Village, with record numbers of families needing support in providing the essentials for their babies and young children. The cost-of-living crisis has caused a huge surge in the number of families needing help. The charity has supported over 6,000 children this year, including over 1,000 newborn babies.
The appeal launches at midday on Tuesday 29th November and closes at midday on Tuesday 6th December.
The cost-of-living crisis has caused a huge surge in the number of families needing help
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Kym's life now may seem like an endless stream of glamorous red carpet appearances, but she remembers all too well the stress and worry of trying to make ends meet as a young mum to two children born close together in her pre-showbusiness days
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