‘No child in Horsham and Crawley will go without a present this Christmas’

That’s the pledge from the Salvation Army as it launches its annual Christmas Present Appeal.

The Horsham branch, based near Horsham Station in Booth Way, is encouraging the local community to add an extra toy to their shopping list this year so that families struggling to buy a gift for their children can ensure there is something for them to open on Christmas Day.

The Christmas Present Appeal, which The Salvation Army has held for more than 25 years, runs from November 1 through to Friday December 3 with drop off locations in local businesses and at The Salvation Army between 9.30am and 12.30 each weekday, for unwrapped new toys and gifts and vouchers.

The church and charity is also fundraising for gift and food vouchers to enable parents to celebrate Christmas and provide a festive meal for their families. Financial donations can be made at a special Christmas Present Appeal JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/horsham-sa2 Alternatively, cheques can be made payable to ‘The Salvation Army’ with a note added to indicate the donation is to go towards the Christmas Appeal.

Major Iain Stewart, leader of The Salvation Army Horsham, with his wife Ann said: “For many, Christmas is a time of joy, celebration and happiness however for some it brings added expense, stress and emphasises loneliness.

“Donating a gift will go a long way to making a child’s Christmas that little bit brighter and allows The Salvation Army to support families who are most in need.”

Last year saw nearly 800 children supported by the annual appeal and almost 550 adults received food vouchers or parcels to ensure they could eat over the festive period.

The Salvation Army met an increase in demand in the area last year helping more than 1,500 people, 75 per cent more than in 2019 with donations in kind supplementing a 50 per cent increase in expenditure.

Major Iain, who runs support programmes for vulnerable adults and families throughout the year, anticipates that even more people will be referred for help this Christmas.

He added: “There is no doubt that there will be more people who will struggle this Christmas, probably around 20 per cent more. Everyone working together to support our community is what the Christmas story inspires us to do.

“Seeing the support of the public to ensure that all children wake up to presents under the tree on Christmas morning is truly amazing and we thank you in advance for your support and kindly ask that you also remember the teenagers as you choose your gifts to buy and donate this year.”

Local businesses and community groups are already stepping up to support the appeal including Millais School, Sakakini Jewellers, Brock Taylor Estate Agents, James Miller Hair, Heron Way School, CPJ Field, Ballard & Shortall, and The Entertainer.

Gifts should be appropriate for children and young people, aged 0 to 16 years old.

The Salvation Army will then sort and distribute the gifts to children and families in the area through its own networks, local schools, and social services.

Here’s how donations could transform lives this Christmas ...

£15 buys a larger gift for a child

£10 provides a voucher for a teenager to buy something of their choosing

£5 could provide a toiletries set for a mum or dad who would normally not receive anything

£20 gives a family of three the voucher to buy their Christmas meal

£30 will provide a small, medium and larger gift for a child

£50 will help towards the cost of supporting a larger family group

£100 could pay for a family of four to each receive presents and their meal on Christmas Day

All the families supported through the Christmas Appeal are referred to The Salvation Army anonymously by local schools and support agencies who know their situation.