For every £1 we spend, 84p helps children and families.
“Santa didn't forget me!"
Thanks to your donations, discover how our support workers help children like Freya* experience the magic of Christmas.
Having a warm house, enough food and coat for Freya really changed everything. Freya's herself again.
Jess*, Freya's* mum
Six-year-old Freya* often fell asleep fully clothed on a mattress, trying to keep warm, only to wake up shivering.
Just before Christmas, she told her mum, Jess*, that she only wanted one present from Santa.
Jess held back tears. No matter how many hours she worked, she couldn't afford it.
Help children like Freya this Christmas
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Thanks to supporters like you, we were able to provide Freya and her mum with supermarket and energy vouchers, a special trip to visit Santa, and the toy farm she desperately wanted.
*This story is based on real examples of children we support
But our support didn't stop at Christmas. This year, we've helped Freya settle into school by providing her with new uniform, a warm coat, and a bed to help her sleep better.
For every £1 we spend, 84p helps children and families.
4 million UK children now live in poverty. That's 27% of all children.
For many children, Christmas is anything but magical. No presents or festive food.
That’s why we need your support.
Each year, we ask people to become a Secret Santa for a vulnerable child by making a charity Christmas donation. Your donation could give the essentials of warm clothes, a hot meal, or a Christmas present for a child who wouldn’t otherwise get one.
Donate today and you could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.
We’re lighting up the UK with Secret Santas
Every time a donation is made, a star can be added to our map
Total donations
£115
Secret Santas
6
Your donation helps us support vulnerable children, young people and their families in the UK.
84p of every £1* we spend goes directly towards helping children, young people and their families. We make sure that every penny you donate goes where it will have the greatest impact on children’s lives.
Donations from this campaign will be unrestricted and used by Action for Children for its general charitable purposes. That means they’re not spent on one project or one specific area of the UK, but where the need is greatest.
Some of our unrestricted funding goes towards essential management and administration costs to make sure funding can reach the children and families who are most in need of support.
*Figure based on audited 2024/25 charity accounts that exclude subsidiary companies like commercial nurseries.
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