The majority of us are excited about the festive season, particularly following the lockdown over Christmas 2020 which saw many of us spending Christmas with Netflix, as opposed to our family and friends. So it’s no surprise to see the early TV advertising and ‘grotto’ emblazoned across our neighbour’s front doors and gardens this year. We are all eager to enjoy The Big Day as we once did, in those heady pre-pandemic times, and share gifts and treats with loved ones.
Of course, the flip side is that Christmas can be a tough time for many, and even more so for families living in women’s refuges, or children living alone in care, up and down the country. There are many children across the UK that do not receive Christmas gifts.
A difficult time for some
According to The Independent, leading charities have voiced their concerns about a potential increase in domestic abuse this year, following the pandemic and financial and emotional stressors the past 18 months has brought to so many. For those who were already at risk, the danger increases significantly, and sadly, abuse doesn’t stop on Christmas Day. In fact, in many cases, it is likely to increase. Thousands of families will be living in fear this year. Christmas can be an especially frightening and lonely time, with many isolated from family or friends for a host of reasons. Sadly, there are over 80,000 children in care in the UK this year, which is a 2% rise on last year.
There are small things that many of us can do to make a big difference. Our branch network supports community charities throughout the year, this year we thought we would share our Bromsgrove branch’s chosen charity, 4 Steps To A Smile with you as they are a small charity with big Christmas plans!
Introducing 4 Steps To A Smile
Founded by Linda Sandhar-Haynes in 2001, 4 Steps To A Smile aims to give survivors of abuse the tools and life skills needed to seek help, and rebuild confidence and strength. In particular, they support women escaping from domestic violence in shelters and children living in children’s homes.
Their simple purpose is to help vulnerable people and children find their feet, by supporting them with clothing and food, and of course, Christmas gifts.
And this is where you, our wonderful A-Plan community, comes in.
Would you like to help?
Believing that ‘no child should go without’, in 2019 4 Steps To A Smile raised around 7,000 children’s gifts via their online Christmas appeal, which in turn supported 50 charities including children’s homes and women’s refuges across the Midlands, and those entering the care system. Sadly, in 2020, due to COVID restrictions they were prevented from reaching this level. So, this year, with your help, we hope to help them raise closer to 9,000!
The charity has set up a Wishlist on Amazon. The list is a result of each child making a Christmas wish, and each wish (present) is placed as an item on the Wishlist to be purchased for that child. Some gifts are as little as £2.70, but could make a huge difference to a child.
How can you buy a gift for a child?
If you would like to order a gift, you can do so via this Amazon Wishlist. Please note that we are hoping to ensure that all orders are with the charity by 17th December.
Please enter the delivery address as: A-Plan Insurance, 6 – 8 High Street, Bromsgrove, Worcester, B61 0NY, and the A-Plan team will deliver and help them get the gifts ready for dispatch to the children. You can find out more about the branch here.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to sharing the results the charity’s hard work and the community’s generosity.
If you or someone you care about is affected by domestic violence, please do reach out to Refuge for help by calling the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 27, or you can chat online for free and confidential support. Please call 999 in an emergency.