Be a Secret Santa for a vulnerable child.
Vulnerable children in the UK desperately need a Secret Santa like you.
Rather make a quick donation?
How gifting works
1Choose your gift
Choose from our selection of one-off or monthly virtual gifts that could help a vulnerable child
2Add e-card
In the basket, select ‘add e-card' to add a personalised message to your gift for the recipient
3Share the gift
Receive the link to your e-card and share with the recipient to let them know you've gifted on their behalf
4Make a difference
Supporters like you helped us reach 687,755 vulnerable children and families last year
Choose your gifts
Gift on behalf of a loved one by choosing to 'add e-card' in your basket
Most popular
Christmas Special
A trip to visit Santa
£10
You could pay for a trip to visit Father Christmas for a child who would otherwise miss out
Meals and snacks
£40
You could pay for food for a child for a week, including a hot meal every evening
A stocking full of gifts
£100
You could buy a teddy bear, games, warm winter clothes and bedding for a child
Winter essential
Help a vulnerable child
Choose your own amount
Monthly donations help us do more.
The impact your gift could make
Bertie's story
"Jane had given him some little toy trucks because she knows he absolutely loves anything to do with transport. He was obsessed with those toys for the whole of Christmas."
Emma, support worker
"The kids meet Santa and go through a 'toy shop' area where they get to choose any present they like. The children's faces when they realise they can choose a gift is just magical."
James' story
"The children were so happy that their piles of presents were bigger. There were toys and wrapping paper everywhere. You couldn’t see the floor! It was wonderful to see how excited and happy they were."
Thomas' story
"Pat was just so generous. She brought us a food hamper full of fresh food and festive things like biscuits and crackers and chocolates. It was just amazing and Thomas loved the treats."
Rather make a quick donation? Donate Now
How your gift could make a difference
The magic of Christmas begins in childhood. Hanging stockings. Sharing festive food. Presents under the tree. It’s a time for children to feel loved and make memories that last a lifetime.
But for vulnerable children across the UK, Christmas is anything but magical. No stockings. No presents. No festive food - maybe no food at all.
But you could help change that. Your gift could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.
Children across the UK need a Secret Santa like you.
687,755
We helped 687,755 children and families in 2023/24
372
We run 372 services in local communities across the UK
Why we need your help now
4.3 million UK children now live in poverty. That’s almost 1 in 3 children. It’s the worst number ever recorded, with 100,000 more children in poverty last year than the year before. More children are suffering.
At Action for Children, we have thousands of frontline workers supporting children every day. We’ve seen children without a bed sleeping on the floor. Families phoning us crying because they have no money to feed their children. It's relentless. And it doesn't stop just because it's Christmas.
But we also see the incredible difference your support makes.
By becoming a Secret Santa, you could give a vulnerable child the essentials of warm clothes, a hot meal, or a special present just for them. You could help them feel the magic of Christmas.
Childhood is short. We don’t have long to make magical memories. That’s why we need your support now.
Become a Secret Santa today.
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
£1,638,941
Secret Santas
36,846
Your virtual gift is a donation that helps us support vulnerable children, young people and their families in the UK.
85p 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 2023/24 charity accounts that exclude subsidiary companies like commercial nurseries.
