Met Christmas appeal seeks to beat last year’s 17,000 gifts total
Melanie May | 4 December 2017 | News
The Met is again running its Christmas appeal, which asks for donations of presents for disadvantaged children.
The Met’s Christmas Tree Project has been an annual event since 2012 to ensure more children in need have a present delivered to them in time for Christmas Day. In 2016, the public donated 17,000 gifts to the appeal with over £20,000 donated on JustGiving, and this year the Met is hoping to beat that total. It is asking the public to buy a present for a child aged from one week to 17-years-old and drop it off at their local Metropolitan Police Station. Gifts should be left unwrapped for security reasons, and go to children in care, disadvantaged families, refuges or hospitals all over London.
The deadline for donations is Tuesday 12 December, and monetary donations are also welcomed with the Metropolitan Police again raising funds on JustGiving that will also be used to buy Christmas gifts. So far, it has raised £13,411 from 422 supporters. To help advertise the appeal, the Met asked children at primary schools across London to design a poster with the winning entry also displayed on the Met’s site and on its JustGiving page.
This year’s appeal was launched by Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and poster competition winner 10-year-old Lavinia Zimarino from Sutton, who turned on the Christmas tree lights outside New Scotland Yard at the Met’s new HQ. Christmas trees also appear outside police stations and in other public places in all of London’s 32 boroughs to help encourage people to participate in the appeal.
Commissioner Cressida Dick said:
“At this time of giving and festivities, we have the opportunity to spread a little joy to those children less fortunate and in care. Since our Christmas Tree appeal in 2012, we have seen its success grow year after year. The generosity and goodwill of officers, staff and fellow Londoners, will see the presents delivered to children and young people in care this Christmas.”
Advertisement
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.