About the Toy Appeal
The elves are still busy behind the scenes preparing this year’s Toy Appeal, which will launch later this year, but you don’t need to wait to help, you can support families now.
We know that families are struggling and are having to make difficult choices all year round, and Christmas adds to that pressure. Last year, Family Action’s research revealed the emotional and practical toll of festive financial pressures on parents and carers, with 1 in 6 saying they can’t afford a gift for their child.
Thanks to your support, we will once again be helping thousands of families make sure their child has a gift to open on Christmas Day. Parents and carers shouldn’t have to go without essentials or face worrying they have let their children down.
Thank you to everyone who supported our Toy Appeal in 2025. Find out more about the difference you made and how your donation this year will make sure a child doesn’t think Santa has forgotten them.
Your donation can support families in crisis
Put a smile on a child’s face who has nothing this Christmas
Your gift will support families this Christmas and beyond
Company Toy Appeal support
Every year, dozens of organisations take part in Family Action’s Christmas Toy Appeal to sponsor, collect and distribute the gifts. In 2025, we delivered over 10,000 gifts to children and young people across the country. For some children, this may be the only gift they receive.
Join us to help keep the magic of Christmas alive for every family this Christmas.
Company Toy Appeal sign-up 2026Why support the Toy Appeal?
We know that families are struggling, we see that through our services every day, but we also look at the latest research and statistics on poverty to understand the bigger picture, as well as conducting our own research to inform where support is needed most.
Every year, we ask parents and carers about Christmas affordability and the findings are alarming – you can see that from last year’s results below. We are doing the same poll this year and will publish these findings later in the year, but we already know that families will struggle, and we know your support will make a big difference to children this Christmas.
parents couldn't afford a present for their child in 2025
of parents felt like they'd failed their children if they couldn't afford a present
households struggled to afford food at Christmas last year
When you don’t get much, having that one present to open when you sit around the tree means a lot. At least you’ve got a present… at least you got one.
Last year, when Family Action got in touch about the Toy Appeal, I was deciding on whether to buy presents or food. I hope the people donating know that the presents mean a lot to us and have made us smile.
I was worried that, because I couldn’t afford anything for my youngest, my seven and five-year-old would wonder why he didn’t get anything from Santa and whether he’d been a naughty baby. Having presents from the Toy Appeal was a huge weight off my shoulders.
I’d say that without the people who donate my children would have gone without last year, and not having the resources to provide made me feel useless as a mum.
