The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2025 – Warmth in Every Bundle
Between 2nd and 9th December 2025, we took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge.
Between 2nd and 9th December 2025, we took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge. It’s the UK’s largest online match funding campaign and, after winning the Newcomer Award in 2024, we felt well-equipped and excited to seize this fantastic fundraising opportunity.
Last year, our focus was on raising funds for safe and warm places to sleep for children experiencing hardship in Surrey and Croydon. We were increasingly hearing about children with unsuitable bedding, dirty mattresses or, in some cases, no bed of their own. These children were having to share with a sibling or parent, sleep in their buggy or use a makeshift bed. One of our targets was to provide 1,000 beds and new mattresses (for Moses baskets, cribs, cots and toddler beds) in 2025 and reduce waiting lists for these essential items. By September, we had already reached our goal!
The demand for beds, mattresses and bedding is a continuous need, so as well as raising funds for only these items through the 2025 Challenge, we extended this year’s campaign to include winter clothes bundles, coats, prams and cosy toes. Winter is an especially tough season for the families we support. Rising energy bills and the increased cost of living leave many cold, tired and at risk of illness. Families facing poverty often use whatever they can to help keep their babies and children warm and comfortable. We want to make life easier by providing the essentials they need during these colder months.
A week before the campaign went live, we were given a powerful reminder of how vital it is to be able to respond quickly and compassionately. We received an urgent request for a family living in temporary accommodation; three children sleeping together, huddled under towels trying to keep warm, as temperatures outside dropped below zero. Read more…
The first stage of the Big Give application was securing match funding.
A heartfelt thank you to the Wisley Foundation, the Borrow’s Family Charitable Trust, esure and the Alchemy Foundation for stepping forward as our lead pledgers. Their early support gave the campaign a strong foundation and signalled real confidence in what we are aiming to achieve.
With that backing in place, we were delighted when the Shanly Foundation joined as our champion funder, unlocking an opportunity to strengthen this part of the match funding even further. Our thanks also go to our corporate partners Unum and Celtic Contractors for adding their support at this crucial stage.
As an unexpected but very welcome boost, the Shanly Foundation then offered an additional challenge pledge. Believing in the power of our community to rise to the moment, we gladly accepted.
In total, we now needed £54,000 in supporter donations to unlock £54,000 of match funding, giving us £108,000 to deliver our winter warmth campaign in 2026.
Next, we reached out to our amazing network of supporters – individuals, businesses, community and sports groups, schools and our wonderful volunteers – hoping to raise the £54,000 needed when the campaign went live. We already had early funds pledged via ‘Donation Promises’, and some incoming donations which were held back specifically so they could be matched. We are incredibly grateful to those who helped arrange this; it gave us the confidence to aim higher and increase our target from last year.
When the campaign went live, we watched in anticipation as donations began to pour in. We hit screen refresh almost as much as we consumed mince pies. Once again, the generosity of the community was absolutely amazing.
On the sixth day, we reached our £108,000 target, and by the end of the campaign we had raised an astounding £115,011 (not including Gift Aid or platform fees).
Because of this kindness, we head into 2026 with the reassurance that we can continue to say ‘yes’ to every request for a safe place to sleep and, as the weather gets harsher, we will be providing warmth in every bundle.
Thank you to the Big Give for giving so many fantastic charities this incredible opportunity.
Thank you to our champion funder, and to all our main and top-up pledgers for building our match funding pot.
And thank you to every individual and organisation who supported us. For reasons of anonymity, we can’t mention them all in this blog – but you know who you are.
As well as those already mentioned, a special thanks to…
We look forward to sharing the impact of this campaign and the difference it makes throughout the coming year. As we always say at Stripey Stork: behind every referral is a family that needs our help. And it’s the impact of that help that makes everything we do worthwhile:
“The boys were all smiles as they opened the packages, and it was heartwarming to see how much they loved the new clothes. Their excitement was truly priceless. You helped lift a heavy load off my shoulders, and I can’t thank you enough for your kindness.”
Between 2nd and 9th December 2025, we took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge.
The children were huddled together under towels, trying to keep warm in a bitterly cold
As the colder months approach, one item becomes especially important for every child: a warm
On Sunday 21st September, the wait was finally over – Run Reigate 2025 had arrived!