Christmas Impact Report 2025

We invited families to share their experiences through our anonymous survey, and 240 families took the time to respond. These insights help us understand what mattered most, and where our support made the biggest difference.

Every response helps us shape how we deliver Christmas support in the future.

💔 The moment everything changed

Back in August, we received the devastating news that we were losing the premises that had been home to our Christmas project for the past three years. With only four weeks’ notice and nowhere to go, we faced the very real possibility of not being able to deliver Christmas to the thousands of children who rely on us.

🤍 When our community stepped up

What happened next reminded us just how extraordinary our community is. Bumbles and Boo were the first to step forward, offering us a safe place to store our Christmas stock at a time when we had absolutely nowhere to turn. Their kindness gave us the breathing space we needed to keep going.

✨ A turning point that secured our future

Then came the moment that truly changed everything. Green Park and Mapletree Investments offered us a new home, along with a five year lease. Their generosity gave us the stability and hope we so desperately needed.

Since November, our suite at Green Park has become our Christmas grotto, a space where gifts have been collected, sorted, wrapped and packed by volunteers every day in the run up to Christmas.

Our Christmas Project simply would not be possible without the incredible volunteers and staff who gave their time, energy and kindness throughout the festive build up. From early mornings to late evenings, our Elves Room was powered by teamwork, generosity and a shared determination to make sure every child felt remembered.

Together, volunteers gave over 1,800 hours of their time to the Christmas Project.

A peek inside the Elves Room 🎥

A moment from the wrapping room, showing our staff and volunteers in full Christmas flow.

During the Big Give campaign, every donation to The Cowshed was doubled. This meant supporters could make twice the difference for local children and families facing hardship.

At a time when demand was rising and decisions needed to be made fast, matched funding gave us the confidence to keep going. It helped us continue accepting referrals and prevented families being turned away when they needed help most.

We are incredibly grateful to the organisations who supported our Big Give campaign:

Bracknell Sling Library, Burnham Beeches, Creative Hair Greenford, Royal British Legion Arborfield, Morgan Lovell, Penn Group, AbbVie, 73rd Reading Squirrel Scouts, Ayens, HiPP, 52 Lives, Earley Dental Practice, Prestige Power, Adobe, Wokingham Forest Friends Group, The Plough Shiplake, Winnersh WI, IQVIA, CP Law Solicitors, Burnham Beeches Hotel, Eversley Storage and Bespoke IFA.

Sponsor a sack

Sponsoring a sack is one of the simplest ways our community can make a direct difference at Christmas. Each sponsorship helps us purchase a full set of brand new gifts, wrap them with care, and deliver them to a local child.

For many families, this removed the fear of Christmas completely.

This year, 149 sacks were sponsored, helping ensure families facing financial hardship could focus on being together, knowing their children would still experience the excitement of Christmas morning, just like their peers.