Stand with our charity partners this Christmas

We have all seen the horrors in the Middle East on our TV screens and filling our social media timelines in recent weeks.

Closer to home, destitution has more than doubled in five years, to 3.8 million people who have had to forego multiple life essentials because they cannot afford them. 

It is against this grim backdrop that we launch our Christmas appeal for our Prospect charity partners, War Child and The Trussell Trust. 

Children living through conflict

There are times like this when children affected by conflict are at the forefront of our minds – for War Child that is the constant reality. War Child is working in Ukraine, the Middle East, Iraq, and areas that receive less media attention such as Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.  

War Child aim to be there for children who need them most, when they need them most. They work to ensure the poorest and most vulnerable children get an education, they offer a wealth of support to families and they provide critical psychological support.

Food banks in the UK

Despite recent figures showing inflation steadily falling in the UK, the bigger picture is that food prices have risen 28% in the last two years – hitting the least well off the most. 

The most recent figures show food bank use up 37% in a year. 

Behind these figures there are real lives and real consequences. People going to bed without food, children with failing health because they don’t have enough to eat.  

Last winter, mum-of-four Nikki* was one of the 225,000 people in the UK who turned to a food bank for the first time. This winter, we’re expecting that number to rise. 

Nikki received emergency food and support that meant she could provide for her family. It was a huge weight off her shoulders. 

The Trussell Trust have a fight on their hands but they’re working to stop UK hunger so people don’t have to use food banks. They’re hoping to deliver 1 million emergency food parcels this winter to help people get through these times, giving a lifeline to some of our most vulnerable fellow citizens. 

Your donations matter

Both War Child and The Trussell Trust do all this with donations from people like you. In the three years we have worked with them, you have raised tens of thousands of pounds. Our charity partners wouldn’t be able to function without organisations like ours coming together to raise awareness and donate. 

For many of us, the economic environment will make this Christmas difficult but, if you can, take a moment to think about the light War Child and The Trussell Trust can offer the most vulnerable people in the UK and abroad and consider contributing what you can to our Christmas appeal. 

Thank you.

Ele Wade is Prospect’s President and Chair of the UK Intellectual Property Office branch

*Nikki’s name has been changed to protect her identity