Christmas for Every Child
We want every child to feel the magic of Christmas, believe that Father Christmas always delivers and be delighted by the surprise of receiving presents on Christmas morning.
For too many families, Christmas is yet another hurdle in their ongoing battle against poverty, especially now with the cost of living crisis and families struggling to provide their children with basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing and heating.
An estimated 20% of children in the borough of Bromley are living in poverty (2021/22 figures); that equates to over 16,000 children. For many of those children, there will be no visit from Father Christmas, no stockings filled with gifts, no Christmas tree surrounded by presents and no festive feast and treats to enjoy. Christmas can be a time of sadness, disappointment and exclusion, in place of excitement and happiness.
Parents feel a significant burden during the Christmas season as they strive to provide some semblance of joy and celebration for their children. The pressure to fulfil societal expectations of gift-giving can lead to increased stress and feelings of inadequacy. Increasingly, children living in poverty experience the stark contrast between their own reality and the abundance of others, triggering feelings of alienation and low self-esteem.
What we do
At Bromley Brighter Beginnings, we firmly believe that Christmas should be a joyful and magical occasion for children. Every year, we strive to make this a reality for the families we support through our Christmas for Every Child effort.
Our Christmas campaign began in 2016, providing for around 50 children, and with your help Team BBB has been growing and sprinkling a little more Christmas magic with each year. In 2022 we were able to provide for nearly 700 children and their families. Every year this number continues to increase so we are anticipating an even higher number of referrals for 2024.
Buy a gift from our Christmas shop
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new BBB Christmas Shop! It’s a special place where you, our supporters, can purchase gifts for a child or family in need. Buy gifts, PJs, books, vouchers and complete hampers via our BBB Christmas Shop and bring a special bit of magic to a family this Christmas.
Visit the shop
“As well as providing essentials to help families keep afloat at the most expensive time of the year, our supporters are helping to remove the stigma that many of our families feel. Our aim is simple – reduce stress and increase dignity. And most importantly, we want children to know that Father Christmas hasn’t forgotten them.”
Trustee & Christmas for Every Child Coordinator
What’s in the bag?
BBB supports families by providing a huge array of Christmas essentials & goodies. Our ‘Christmas for Every Child’ hampers are filled with books, toys, gifts, games, Christmas treats, toiletries, cosy nightwear, and food vouchers.
This year, we’re proud to put the spotlight on local businesses by sourcing many of the toys available on our site from small, independent retailers. By supporting us, you’re not only bringing joy to a child but also helping to uplift our local community.
How you can help this year ↓
We know times are tough for everyone at the moment, and we are so grateful for every donation. If a financial contribution is not a possibility for you this year, you can still help us raise awareness across the community – simply sharing the link to this page with friends, family and colleagues could make a HUGE difference.
We pack and deliver the bags before December so families are not stressing about how they’ll afford Christmas and so that children can open their advent calendars on December 1st. Packing day will be on Saturday 23rd November 2024 and we are expecting more referrals than ever so let’s get started bringing the joy to families in need.
Buy a gift from our Christmas shop
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new BBB Christmas Shop! It’s a special place where you, our supporters, can purchase gifts for a child or family in need. Buy gifts, PJs, books, vouchers and complete hampers via our BBB Christmas Shop and bring a special bit of magic to a family this Christmas.
“During christmas when most of my classmates received presents they’ve been wishing for I was opening gifts of basic essentials such as underwear. ”
Iz Youth Ambassador for End Child Poverty
Donate Christmas Jumpers
Do you have a ‘pre-loved’ Christmas jumper or even a new one you don’t or won’t wear? Jumpers can be any size from newborn to adult but must be in great preloved condition (no bobbles or stains, no pulled threads) and CLEAN, so that we can pass them straight on to families. Donation Locations.
Donate a unwanted / duplicate gift (NEW ONLY)
There’s an easy yet impactful way to support our Christmas for Every Child campaign without spending a penny—regift! You can donate a new gift that you’ve received but don’t need or can’t use. Instead of letting it sit unused, pass it on to someone who will truly appreciate and benefit from it. Donations can be delivered to our drop-off locations below (either using Facebook message or email)
Get your school or group involved 
We would love local schools and groups to get involved and help us collect items to go in the Christmas Bags. If you are someone who works in a school or a parent/carer with children at school you can ask your school if they would like to get involved.
Please get in touch with Helen Scothern via Facebook message or email helen@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk to find out what we need.
Get your business involved
Calling all businesses! Are you looking for a small charity to support this Christmas? Somewhere you know your donation will make a real difference? If so, we’d love to talk to you about donations towards one of our gift categories.
Please email amy@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk to get involved.
Christmas for every child – Leaflet
Share our leaflet with your local community – be it family, friends, neighbours, school groups, sports groups, local businesses – share away and ask them to share with everyone they can too!! Let’s spread the word like Christmas confetti throughout Bromley and beyond.
Items you can purchase in our Christmas shop
Pyjamas
Every child will receive a new cozy pair of pyjamas to snuggle up in. Over the years our pyjama collection has been extremely popular with you, our lovely supporters. Last year we provided nearly 700 children with beautiful Christmas PJs which children enjoyed throughout the festive season.
As pyjamas are bought specifically for the referrals we receive, we are asking for our wonderful supporters to purchase these via our BBB Christmas shop. Buying directly from BBB will make Madeleine Hay’s job (aka our Pyjama Queen) much simpler!
Books
Reading in childhood promotes better long-term outcomes. That’s why we include a book for every child in our Christmas bags, and also give out books throughout the year to the families we support.
All of our books will be bought from local independent booksellers such as www.thisisbooklove.com and we ensure we select a range of beautiful, multicultural and diverse books. Purchase books for our families here.
Black Hair Products
We are increasingly improving the inclusivity of our bags; tailoring them to each referral family in terms of faith, ethnicity, gender and size.
This year, we will be selecting a local, minority-owned business to ensure we tailor to the unique needs of different hair types for Black individuals.
Donation Drop off Locations
| Area | Volunteer | Postcode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley | Simone Reddington | BR2 | simone@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk |
| Petts Wood | Kym Pavitt | kym@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk | |
| Beckenham | Miriam Richards | BR3 | miriam@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk |
| Hayes | Sophie Louise | BR2 | sophie@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk |
| West Wickham | Anna Parsonage | BR4 | anna@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk |
| Orpington | Amy Day | BR6 | amy@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk |
| Chislehurst | Nancy Lengthorn | BR7 | nancy@bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk |
The difference you made – Christmas in a Bag 2022
Watch our video from last year’s campaign to see how donations meant nearly 700 Bromley children were gifted Christmas in a Bag – just magical!
Feedback from Families
Feedback from Referrers
“Thank you and your colleagues for the fabulous hampers. It is great to be in a position to support families across Bromley and we will ensure that the families receive these in time for the holiday season. We already know that they will make an enormous difference to the families that we are working with and truly ‘brighten’ their December during what can only be described as the most difficult and challenging circumstances in many many years.”
~ Bromley Children Project
“We want to give a massive thanks to Bromley Brighter Beginnings for giving us such huge hampers for 2 of our families. We couldn’t be happier with all the gifts and essentials included in these hampers and our families will be most grateful!”
~ Home Start Bromley
“I just wanted to let you know that I have received several calls from my families reporting how much they appreciate the Christmas Hampers, the good quality of the hampers and how much the contents are going to help them and their children over the festive period. My manager and I are very appreciative of all of the support and assistance provided by Bromley Brighter Beginnings to our families and wish to thank you directly. Thank you very much.”
“I’ve just given a hamper to a single mum of 3 children and she is over the moon. I can’t tell you how much this hamper was needed. I can’t believe the quality of the toys and books in there, it’s just wonderful, thank you.”
~ Health visitor