Support Shelter this Christmas
Give a child the best gift of all — a place to call home
This Christmas, 80,000 children will wake up homeless in Britain. Many will spend
Christmas morning in an emergency bed and breakfast or hostel, often cramped
intoone room with their whole family and with limited cooking, laundry and bathroom
facilities. Shelter will provide support throughout Christmas to families all over the
country — but we need your help.
There are lots of fun and festive ways to raise money at work and support Shelter;
you can get started straightaway by setting up an online fundraising page at:
uk.virginmoneygiving.com or www.justgiving.com
1. Festive Friday
Arrange a dress-down day with a festive twist! Ask all staff to wear red, a Santa hat, or even their favourite
Christmas jumper to work and donate £2 each to Shelter. You could even convince a senior staff member
to dress as an elf if you reach your target amount – email [email protected] to get hold of one of
our elf costumes!
2. Shelter Shop Secret Santa
Get into the Christmas spirit by giving presents to your colleagues and supporting Shelter at the same time.
Agree on a price limit, draw names out of a hat and then head to your local Shelter shop to find the perfect gift.
Visit www.shelter.org.uk/shop to find one near you.
3. Mince Pie Bake-Off
Treat your colleagues this festive season with a mince pie bake-off. Ask colleagues to donate to take part as
either bakers or official taste testers, and auction off the winning mince pie to the highest bidder. The tastiest
way to support Shelter this Christmas!
4. Donate your Dinner Money
Bring a packed lunch to work during December and donate the money you save to Shelter. Alternatively, you
could collect donations in your canteen during staff Christmas lunches.
5. Helpful Elf
Auction off a willing volunteer who agrees to be a helpful elf to the highest bidder for a day. You provide the
volunteer and we’ll provide the costume… Just email [email protected].
6. Decorate your Desk
Challenge everyone in your office to spend their lunch making their desk look as festive as possible for a small
donation to Shelter – ask people from another team to judge and give a prize for the most Christmassy desk.
7. Gift Swap
Hold a bring-and-buy sale to exchange last year’s unwanted gifts and give your Christmas shopping a boost.
8. New Year’s Resolution
How about making a New Year’s resolution that makes you feel good and is easy to stick to? Pledge to make a
regular gift to Shelter through your payroll to get that feel-good feeling all year round! For more information, visit
www.shelter.org.uk/payrollgiving
Five-minute Festivities
If you’re short of time this December, why not try one of these quick and easy festive
fundraisers?
Festive Lunch
Pop into your local M&S store and buy a festive lunch from the M&S ‘Food on the Move’ Christmas range,
where 5p from every purchase goes to support Shelter’s free housing advice line. It’s an easy and tasty way
to support Shelter in your lunch break.
Card-free Christmas
Put a big poster on the wall for colleagues to write their festive greetings on instead of giving out cards and
donate the money you would have spent to Shelter. Or as an alternative, why not send your family, friends
and colleagues fun and colourful animated e-cards this Christmas? Go to www.shelter.org.uk/ecards
Festive Paper Chain
Give your office some Christmas cheer by decorating it with paper chains. Donate £1 to Shelter and write
a festive message on a colourful strip of paper. Join them all together and see which office can make the
longest chain!
Guess the Christmas Angel
Ask your colleagues to bring in their most embarrassing and most Christmassy baby pictures. Pin them all
onto a board and take turns to guess the baby for a small donation. Whoever guesses the most pictures
correctly wins a festive prize!
Thank you for supporting Shelter this Christmas. However you decide to
fundraise for us, let us know how you get on by emailing us at:
[email protected].
Your support is vital
Around Christmas time last year, five-year-old Amy and her mum Lorraine were told by their landlord that he needed
them to move out. Desperate and unable to find anywhere affordable, Lorraine turned to the council who found them a
tiny room with just one bed in a rundown B&B, miles from Amy’s school and all their friends.
But there was worse to come. Out of the blue, they were told that they’d be turned out onto the streets at the start of the
New Year. That’s when Lorraine turned to Shelter’s helpline.
Within hours, our adviser contacted the local council and challenged the eviction. After fighting hard to make sure Amy
and her mum weren’t on the streets at Christmas, they were granted an extended stay at the B&B. This bought them
enough time to find a permanent home – close to Amy’s school and the people they know and love.
Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity
shelter.org.uk
Registered charity in England and Wales (263710)
and in Scotland (SC002327). RH6168.