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 monthly or one-off virtual gifts that could bring joy to 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 'personalise' gifts in your basket
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
Most popular
Meals and snacks
£40
You could pay for food for a child for a week, including a hot meal every evening
Winter essential
Rather make a quick donation? Donate Now
The impact Secret Santas can make
Bertie's story
"Things still aren’t easy but your help has meant the world to us. Jane is just incredible. She’s helped us come so far since she came on board to support Bertie and says if we ever need to talk to just call her."
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
"I could never have saved up enough money for our family to go on such a special Santa trip. It created such a precious memory for all our children at what was a tough time."
Thank you for choosing a bauble
You can dedicate your virtual gift to a friend or colleague, and your donation could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.
Hang your bauble on Secret Santa’s Giving Tree and share with others the difference you could make by becoming a Secret Santa for a vulnerable child.
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
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. 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 gift could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.
At Action for Children, we have over 2,500 frontline workers supporting children every day. We’ve seen children without a bed sleeping on the floor with just blankets. Families phoning us crying because they have no money to feed their children. It’s relentless. And it doesn’t stop because it’s Christmas.
But we also see the incredible difference your support makes.
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
£1,640,205
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.
