The Magic of Christmas 2025
Since our first delivery in 2010, The Greenaway Foundation has been dedicated to helping struggling families rediscover the magic of Christmas by uniting local communities across East and West Sussex, Surrey, and Kent. For Christmas 2025, we elevated our efforts to new heights, supporting over 1,000 families with food hampers, gifts, and festive joy. As a Sussex-based charity, we’re thrilled to share how our community came together to make Christmas 2025 truly unforgettable.
Fundraising for Christmas: A Year of Community Spirit
Throughout 2025, we organised a fantastic lineup of fundraising events to ensure Christmas 2025 would be a season of abundance for families in need. From the debut of the Greenaway Live music festival in Crawley to a charity golf day, a daring coast-to-coast bike ride across America, and the soul-stirring concert Running On Faith by Eric & The Claptones, our events were as diverse as they were impactful. Add to that our beloved charity bake sales, lively karaoke nights, and the ever-popular Rock and Roll Bingo, and it’s clear our community’s generosity knows no bounds.
Planning for Christmas 2025: Reaching Families in Need
One of the brightest moments of Christmas 2025 was our Santa’s Grotto at Crawley Rugby Club. This magical haven, crafted by The Greenaway Foundation, was created especially for the children of nominated families. More than just a festive attraction, it was a place where little ones could immerse themselves in the wonder of Christmas, meeting Mr and Mrs Claus, climbing into Santa’s sleigh, and chatting with his cheerful elves. Children decorated gingerbread men, received gifts, and took home reindeer food to sprinkle on Christmas Eve.
Our incredible volunteers transformed the rugby club into a proper winter wonderland, complete with twinkling lights and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Their dedication reminded us why we strive to make Christmas 2025 special, not just by providing practical support but by creating lasting memories and rare moments of joy and togetherness for families facing challenges.
The Christmas 2025 Countdown: Preparation In Full Swing
As December arrived, the pace intensified for Christmas 2025. Between the 16th and 19th, the youth wing at Oriel High School in Crawley became Santa’s workshop, with over a hundred volunteers working in shifts to wrap thousands of presents.
On the 22nd, we launched a logistical marathon, with Niblock Logistics and Quickshift UK collecting massive deliveries from Sainsbury’s. We set up over a thousand boxes in our halls, turning them into the hub of our operations. The following day, more than 60 volunteers assembled hampers with military precision, packing each one with food items for a hearty Christmas 2025 feast. In a touching gesture, staff from Nestlé donated their own Christmas hampers, ensuring over a hundred of the neediest families received extra treats, a true reflection of community spirit.
Christmas Eve 2025: A Monumental Delivery Day
Christmas Eve was the grand finale of our Christmas 2025 efforts, with over 600 volunteers uniting in a staggering display of teamwork. At 6.30am, the final food delivery arrived from Blake Meats, several tons of fresh chickens, which were swiftly added to the hampers. By 9am, food sponsors and distinguished guests arrived to see where every penny had been spent, before joining a breakfast event at Santa’s workshop, hosted by our esteemed patron, Mims Davies MP. Meanwhile, a queue of cars stretching over a quarter of a mile waited patiently to be loaded with hampers for delivery across the Southeast.
We are immensely grateful to Kim Hammond and the team at The Russell Martin Foundation for their seamless collaboration. They nominated families to us and then sent an army of volunteers to collect and deliver hampers along the south coast from Brighton to Bognor Regis. Their support was invaluable in making Christmas 2025 a success for so many.
When We Make Plans, God Laughs (And How He Laughed!)
Each year, we meticulously review our systems from start to finish, fine-tuning processes to ensure a smooth operation for Christmas 2025. We put the system to rest until 1st July, when preparations begin anew. So, imagine our dismay when, after a day and a half, we discovered a glitch in the labelling system, it had missed every ninth family and printed labels in non-sequential order, creating chaos for our elves during setup.
After countless hours of crawling on hands and knees, double-checking every hamper, and handwriting labels, our dedicated volunteers resolved the issues. Their unwavering commitment ensured that Christmas 2025 would still be an amazing day for countless families, a true testament to their spirit.
A Heartfelt Thank You To Our Christmas 2025 Supporters
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the brilliant organisations and individuals who have also helped make Christmas 2025 a reality for countless families. A massive thank you to Edenbridge Rugby Club for raising over £3,200 raised, to Oxted United Reform Church for their incredibly kind donation of more than £2,200, and to Greenaway Residential Estate Agents, for providing over £35,000 in resources throughout the year to keep our charity ticking along. These contributions have been absolutely vital in spreading festive cheer to so many homes across the Southeast.
We would to thank Alex Rickard Photography for once again capturing all the magical moments of our efforts, and to Cardinal Broadcast for brilliantly videoing much of this year’s work. Your talents have helped us share the spirit of Christmas 2025 with an even wider audience. Cheers to you all!
Reflecting On The Impact Of Christmas 2025
As the festive dust settled, we at The Greenaway Foundation reflected on the profound impact of our Christmas 2025 efforts. Thanks to our donors, fundraisers, volunteers, and local businesses, we brought cheer to families across the region. This success highlights what a community-driven charity can achieve when we unite with a shared purpose.
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who stepped up to make a difference for Christmas 2025. Your support has helped us spread the magic of the season, and we look forward to continuing this journey together. If you’d like to get involved with future initiatives, please reach out or visit our website to learn how you can support The Greenaway Foundation in making every Christmas, including Christmas 2025, a time of joy and hope.
Food Sponsors For Christmas 2025
Would You Like To Know More?
If you would like to know more about The Greenaway Foundation you would like to help please email darren@greenawayfoundation.org
Or if you would like to sponsor a child’s wish this Christmas, please click on the donate button below. All donations are gratefully received and every penny goes to helping the community our community across East & West Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
