The Media Angel’s Christmas Charities
There is no denying that 2020 has been a very different and difficult year for everyone. For some people in Wales, it has been even harder, a year filled with anxiety about health, employment, loneliness and not even being able to afford basic necessities such as food.
As a result, instead of sending out our usual corporate gifts, we have decided to support local charities through physical and monetary donations.
We have chosen charities that are dear to our hearts either for personal reasons or because they are dedicated to helping the most vulnerable people in society, in their time of need.
The charities we have supported this year are:
- Trussel Trust – Stop UK Hunger,
- Tabernacle Food Bank Penarth,
- Velindre Cancer Centre,
- Marie Curie Hospice, Penarth and,
- St David’s Toy Appeal.
We wanted to highlight the incredible work each of these charities do.
Trussel Trust – Stop UK Hunger
The Trussell Trust is a charity that works to end the need for food banks in the UK. It supports a network of over 1,200 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compassionate, practical support to people in crisis, while campaigning for long-term change to the structural issues that lock people into poverty.
In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children.
The trust provide a minimum of three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food to people who have been referred in crisis, as well as support to help people resolve the crises they face.
Between April 2019 and March 2020, food banks in our network provided a record 1.9 million food supplies to people in crisis, an 18% increase on the previous year and during the coronavirus pandemic food banks have seen need rise even further. You can find out more about impact of their work during the pandemic here.
Tabernacle Food Bank Penarth
A food bank at Tabernacle was officially set up in September 2008 under the title of “Pharaoh’s Pantry”. It has worked alongside “Home Access” their housing charity, in order to provide support to people in need in our local community. In 2013 Cytun (the churches together in Penarth) agreed to put their full support behind the initiative and adopt it as the Penarth churches food distribution project.
The food bank aims to provide support specifically to those who are struggling with their state benefits, those who are homeless or vulnerably homed and those who are finding it difficult to make ends meet.
This Christmas, the charity are handing out special Christmas Day dinner hampers featuring a local fresh chicken and a voucher which can be spent on local produce. You can find out more about the charity’s work here.
Velindre Cancer Centre
Velindre Cancer Centre, based in Whitchurch, provides specialist cancer services to over 1.5 million people in South East Wales and beyond. They are one of the largest cancer centres in the UK. Each year over 5,000 new referrals and around 50,000 new outpatient appointments are seen by them.
As well as specialist Oncology and Palliative training, Velindre also provides training for:
- cancer nurses
- pharmacists
- medical physicists and provides clinical placements for therapeutic radiography students from the University of Wales College of Medicine.
You can find out more about their work, here.
Marie Curie
Marie Curie offer free nursing care to people with all terminal illnesses across the UK, as well as support for family and friends.
Their nurses generally provide one-to-one nursing care and support overnight in your home, usually for eight or nine hours.
In some areas, they also offer care for a shorter period of time, or during the evening or daytime, as well as care at very short notice in a crisis.
You can find out more about the work they do, here.
St David’s Toy Appeal
The toy appeal, first launched in 2015, has seen the generosity of shoppers donate around 25,000 gifts so far.
Donated presents are distributed to numerous charities in Wales including Barnardo’s, City Hospice, Latch Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity, Ty Hafan and Vale of Glamorgan Hostel, amongst many others.
You can find out more on how to donate here .