Glasgow's Spirit of Christmas

Our campaign is in it's 7th year of supporting local children suffering hardship in Glasgow and surrounding regions. We provide support throughout North and South Lanarkshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Ayrshire, Argyll & Bute and East Renfrewshire. We hope to be able to provide support to every child that we receive referrals from our partnering charities and organisations each year.

Imagine waking up as a child on Christmas Day to no toys, gifts or a hot meal. Every child deserves gifts on Christmas Day no matter what their circumstances are .

Now imagine that your generosity has turned that sad face into a bright happy excited child on Christmas morning. Giving is the true spirit of Christmas!

Can you help us continue to bring the magic of Christmas to disadvantaged children this year?

The sad reality is that 1 in 5 children in Scotland and 1 in 3 in Glasgow lives in poverty and that figure is set to rise over the coming years with a massive increase forecasted in child poverty this year.

We want to do all we can to make sure every child is included at Christmas and has a wonderful magical experience. No-one can imagine waking up as a child on Christmas Day to no presents or a hot meal.

Our Glasgow's Spirit of Christmas Facebook community, named last year as #theplacewherekindnesshappens has grown to over 29,000 members in 6 years without funding. Together with gift donations from private organisations, community groups, public sector organisations, local authorities, partnering charities and you our supporters alongside kind volunteers helping behind the scenes, we provided gifts and cherished memories to over 13,000 lreferred children last year on Christmas Day and over 45,000 children in the last 6 years. This is what we call community compassion in action found here on our Facebook group 'Glasgow's Spirit Of Christmas ' or our charity website www.cultivatingmindfulness.org.uk

Our campaign has relied on 100% volunteers since 2014 and has grown from a 6 week campaign to an all year round task requiring dedicated staffing support to maintain a stable and sustainable infrastructure each year. We are always looking for volunteers to help us throughout the Christmas period. We need your support to help us raise funds to continue the work we have built together and ensure we can continue to give 100% kindness to as many local children and families in need as possible.

Each child and young person receives a Christmas 'Gift Made with Love' filled with age relevant gifts, toys and treats for a girl or boy of a certain age group and/or cinema/clothing/restaurant or toiletries vouchers for teenagers.

The Christmas season provides a wonderful opportunity to teach our own children about giving to others and getting them involved in an active way through fundraising and in the spirit of giving at a time of year when Christmas can be the hardest and loneliness time for many children and individuals.

Every single gift donated as in previous years will be made by referral through our partnerships with local children's charities, foodbanks and children's organisations. This ensures that gifts and support donated will be placed directly into the hands of allocated and referred children who need them most and to make Christmas the special and magical day it should be for all children. Any donations that are received too late for distribution in time for Christmas will be allocated to meet other children's wellbeing needs in the New Year or kept in reserve for next year's Christmas appeal.

TOGETHER COMMUNITIES DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS TO LOCAL CHILDREN SUFFERING HARDSHIP THIS YEAR!