Cornwall's Mission Christmas appeal has requests for £94,000 worth of toys
Your generous donations will help almost 2,700 disadvantaged young people
Last updated 10th Dec 2021
With just over two weeks to go until the big day, this year's Mission Christmas appeal is on course to be the busiest ever as our elves work overtime to turn thousands of applications into a gift for a child who would not otherwise get one.
Because of your generosity so far, we have already been able to send out toys and gifts for more than 50,000 disadvantaged young people nationwide.
The campaign is supporting almost 2,700 disadvantaged children in Cornwall, with requests for £94,000 worth of toys.
They will be delivered to 14 charities across the Duchy, including DISC in Newquay.
Spokeswoman Monique Collins said: "People are so incredibly worried that their children will go without. I had a mum say to me 'the ladies I work with are all saying I've bought this for my little Johnny and I've bought this for my little Sophie and this, this and this - and I can't even afford an advent calendar.
"A lot of people are obviously worried because they can't eat or heat and they've got the added pressure of Christmas on top of that.
"We want to take that pressure away as much as possible and ensure that every single family has got the opportunity to have a good Christmas with a decent amount of presents".
A combination of social, political and economic factors means more families than ever before are relying on Mission Christmas this year.
Across the UK, we have received applications for gifts for more than a quarter of a million children.
That is even higher than the total number of families we supported in 2020, so your generosity is more important than ever!
What sort of gifts do we need?
Please buy an extra gift for Mission Christmas if you can, and we'll make sure that it gets to a disadvantaged child so they'll wake up to something under the tree on Christmas morning. All gifts should be new and unwrapped.
This year, we are seeing a huge demand for gifts for under-3s as well as teenagers, particularly those aged 15-18.
Don't forget, at that age, some older children prefer vouchers, toiletry gift sets, or fragrances.
If you need any extra help, you can buy something direct from our wishlist, or make a donation online, and we will do the rest
Find your nearest drop off
Generous businesses and organisations across the country are collecting gifts for us in our Mission Christmas drop off points
You can find your nearest drop off point on the Mission Christmas website
Mission Christmas 2021 backdrop
Children living in poverty
In March 2020, 4.3m children were living in poverty in the UK. That's 30% of all children, and 500,000 more than five years ago.
It's feared the pandemic and the economic situation caused by Brexit has made the situation even worse
Money worries
The £20 a week increase in Universal Credit introduced at the start of the pandemic was removed by the government in October.
Campaigners says the cut to income affects the poorest members of society just as prices are starting to rise.
Energy prices rise
Inflation is increasing as we head towards Christmas.
That means we all have to pay more for day-to-day items.
The price of gas has rocketed since the summer, leaving some families choosing between heating their homes or feeding their families.
Working families struggling
Three-quarters of children living in poverty are from households where at least one parent works. That's up from two-thirds in 2014-15.
Where is worst hit?
There are people living in poverty across the UK, but the highest numbers are in cities with the biggest populations, London and Birmingham.
Wales has the highest rate per nation while poverty is increasing at its fastest rate in the North East.