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 to give a virtual gift on behalf of another
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
Charity gift ideas
Gift on behalf of another 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
Warm winter clothes and bedding
£65
You could provide winter clothes and bedding to keep a child warm
Help a vulnerable child
Choose your own amount
Monthly donations help us do more.
The difference your support could make
4.3 million UK children now live in poverty. That’s almost 1 in 3 children. It’s relentless. And it doesn’t stop because it’s Christmas.
Christmas should be a time of magic. Hanging stockings. Sharing festive food. Presents under the tree. But for vulnerable children across the UK, Christmas is anything but magical. Their first memories of Christmas could be going to bed hungry, being too cold to sleep, and losing all hope when Santa doesn’t come.
But you could help change that. Your virtual gift could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.
With your support we’re there when families can’t afford the basics. We top up the gas meter, put food on the table, and buy a Christmas present when a parent can’t.
Buy a virtual gift, and you could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas. By buying a charity gift for Christmas, you could give a child warm winter clothes, a hot meal, or a Christmas present just for them.
What a charity gift means to a child
Bertie's story
“When we gave him his presents his face lit up. He had this big smile like he knew what was inside. It’s the best thing ever seeing him like that.”
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
"Last winter, Action for Children gave us energy vouchers. I don’t usually put the heating on because it costs too much. The energy vouchers made a huge difference as we were able to warm the house and I didn’t have to worry about the kids."
Thomas' story
"That year I was so worried about how I was going to make it magical for the children. There were times we didn't have enough money for basics like food let alone presents. At one point we didn’t even have a loaf of bread."
687,755
We helped 687,755 children and families in 2023/24
372
services we run in local communities across the UK
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
£1,640,521
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.
