How a Small Charity Gives 300+ Families a Magical Christmas
Thirteen years ago, four women in Burgess Hill had a simple idea: make sure no child in their community woke up to an empty Christmas morning.
They had no funding, no premises, and no experience running a charity. What they had was a deep knowledge of their community, a fierce determination, and a 10-foot Christmas tree.
That tree became the Giving Tree. And those four women became Christmas Wishes.
The Problem They Set Out to Solve
Toy poverty is rarely talked about, but it's more common than most people realise. In towns and villages across West Sussex — including Burgess Hill, Hassocks, and Hurstpierpoint — there are families for whom buying Christmas presents simply isn't possible.
These aren't families who are struggling to choose between a PlayStation and a bicycle. These are families where the choice is between heating the house and buying food. Families where a single parent is working two jobs and still can't make ends meet. Families who have fallen on hard times through illness, redundancy, or circumstances beyond their control.
For the children in these families, Christmas morning can be a painful reminder of what they don't have.
Christmas Wishes was founded to change that.
How the Charity Works
The model is beautifully simple. Each year, from October to mid-December, Christmas Wishes runs its Toy Appeal — collecting new, unwrapped gifts from the local community through the Giving Tree at 197 Maple Drive, Burgess Hill, and through an Amazon Wish List for those who can't donate in person.
Families in need are referred to the charity by local support services: food banks, social workers, schools, and community organisations who know which households are struggling most. This means the gifts go to the families who need them most, not just those who know to ask.
In the weeks before Christmas, a team of volunteers sorts, wraps, and labels every gift — matching toys to children by age and interest wherever possible. Then, in the days before Christmas, the gifts are hand-delivered to each family's door.
No vouchers. No gift cards. Real toys, wrapped with care, delivered by people who live in the same streets.
The Numbers Behind the Magic
The scale of what Christmas Wishes achieves is remarkable for a charity with no paid staff and no permanent premises:
These numbers represent real children. Real Christmas mornings. Real moments of joy that wouldn't have happened without the generosity of the local community.
The Giving Tree: A Community Landmark
Ask anyone in Burgess Hill about the Giving Tree, and they'll know exactly what you mean. The 10-foot Christmas tree at 197 Maple Drive has become a fixture of the town's festive season — a visible, tangible symbol of community generosity.
Every toy placed under that tree has a story. A parent who picked up an extra gift at the supermarket. A school that ran a collection drive. A business that organised a team appeal. A child who spent their pocket money on a toy for another child they'd never meet.
The Giving Tree is up and open now, with gift tags ready to pick, and donations are collected until 18 December. If you're local, it's worth visiting just to see it — and even more worth visiting with a gift in hand.
More Than Toys: The Cupcake Fundraisers
Christmas Wishes doesn't just collect toys. Throughout the year, the charity runs fundraising stalls at local markets and events, selling homemade cupcakes to raise money for the appeal.
These stalls have become a beloved part of the local community calendar — and a way for people to support the charity even when the toy appeal isn't running. If you see a Christmas Wishes stall at a local market, stop by. The cupcakes are excellent, and every purchase helps fund the next year's appeal.
Why Small Charities Like This Matter
In a world of large national charities with professional fundraising teams and marketing budgets, it's easy to overlook the small, local organisations that are quietly doing extraordinary work.
Christmas Wishes doesn't have a PR team. It doesn't run national advertising campaigns. It doesn't have a celebrity patron or a viral social media presence. What it has is a deep, genuine connection to the community it serves — and a track record of delivering results, year after year, for 13 years.
When you donate to Christmas Wishes, you know exactly where your gift is going. You know it's staying in your community. You know it's going to a child who lives a few streets away from you. That kind of direct, local impact is rare — and it's worth supporting.
How You Can Help This Christmas
The 2026 Toy Appeal is open now. Here's how to get involved:
Donate a toy — Drop off a new, unwrapped gift at the Giving Tree (197 Maple Drive, Burgess Hill) by 18 December, or shop the Amazon Wish List from home.
Bake cupcakes — The charity is always looking for bakers to contribute to its fundraising stalls. Get in touch through the website to find out more.
Spread the word — Share this post, tell your friends, mention it at work or school. The more people who know about Christmas Wishes, the more families the charity can reach.
Volunteer — If you'd like to help sort, wrap, or deliver gifts in the run-up to Christmas, the charity would love to hear from you.
Every contribution — however small — helps Christmas Wishes give more local children a magical Christmas morning.