How a visit to our grotto made Ellie's* Christmas
After her mum escaped an abusive relationship, Action for Children provided Ellie* and her family with a safe space to talk, supermarket vouchers and a visit to Santa’s Grotto.
*This story has been made anonymous – names and ages have been changed to protect the identity of the family involved.
I felt so alone, battling the system for support for the kids and trying to sort out housing. For a while we were living in temporary accommodation in one room and had nothing.
Cassie
Ellie, aged four, and her six-year-old brother Dom fled domestic violence with their mother, Cassie, relocating hundreds of miles from family and friends.
Cassie's life was overwhelming. She had to find housing and school placements while dealing with the emotional fallout from the situation, and the children's additional needs.
The family were referred to Action for Children, where Ellie and Dom received sensory toys and school uniforms.
Cassie was given supermarket vouchers and parenting support to help her manage the children’s additional needs.
Spread Christmas magic to vulnerable children.
Dom and Ellie were also invited to visit Action for Children’s Santa’s Grotto.
Our Grotto is an annual event where local children - whose families are often in financial hardship - get to have a magical experience meeting Santa and receiving Christmas gifts.
Cassie said, 'They loved the whole grotto experience. They were so excited when we got there and then they didn't want to leave.'
The gifts received at the Grotto meant Ellie and Dom were able to wake up to something under the tree on Christmas morning.
Without your support, we couldn't step in at the right moments to help vulnerable families across the UK.
Your donations make it possible for our service workers to offer support to parents like Cassie in hard times. And to make Christmas an exciting time again for children like Ellie and Dom.
By joining our Christmas appeal in any way you can, you could transform the lives of people we support.
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