Our readers have raised over £700,000 for our Christmas appeal – and there s still time to donate
2021 looks like it will be another tough year for carers, cancer patients and survivors of domestic abuse. Please help us to help them
7 January 2021 • 11:30am
Richard Madeley was among the Telegraph editors and columnists who took part in our annual phone-in day last month
Credit: Jeff Gilbert
This far outstrips even the £598,000 that was raised by last year’s appeal.
At a time of crisis, the four charities asked for help, and you, our readers, answered. Our annual phone-in in mid December raised more than £124,000 – a 25 per cent increase on the previous year’s phone-in.
Angela is a full-time carer for her son Mark
Credit: Paul Cooper
On March 23, 2020, single parent Angela Forster s already tough life took a turn for the worse. As the first UK-wide lockdown came into force, her world instantly shrank.
Forster’s son Mark, 34, lives with Fragile X Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The combination of conditions has left him with learning disabilities and little or no sense of danger, which means he can never be left alone. Forster, 62, usually enjoys a little respite from looking after him when he attends a local day centre five days a week. The staff understand Mark and provide a range of activities, including taking him into the community on trips.
The empty chair at our table this Christmas
Four families that have been helped by the charities featured in this year s Christmas appeal share their stories
For families who have lost loved ones, the festive season can be particularly painful
This year, as a result of the pandemic, many of us will be left with an empty space at the Christmas table that would otherwise have been taken by a loved one. For many this will be due to plans cancelled at the last minute, but for many other families it will be because they lost family members in 2020, a pain which is always hard to bear in the festive season.
We wish our readers the best Christmas possible
20 December 2020 • 6:00am
Children from Shepton Mallet Infants School hang onto their hats as they make their way to the school’s nativity play on a wet and windy day in Somerset in 2019.
Credit: APEX
It will be a Christmas unlike any other. This time last year, many readers would have been run ragged trying to prepare for the big day. In 2020, things are smaller, quieter and, for many us, now suspended altogether.
The disease is the greatest cruelty, but loneliness piles on the hardship. When the pandemic began, many commentators reached for war as an analogy, yet the Blitz Spirit was a community phenomenon, while Covid has resulted in much isolation. We’re left with the bare bones of Christmas: less of the fun, more time to reflect on what the season is about.