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Christmas can be a difficult time for many, especially for the vulnerable and those facing hardship. HEALS of Malmesbury aims to provide a little festive cheer for individuals and families in the Malmesbury area with a community Christmas lunch, a pantomime trip and Santa run delivering presents to local families, so that no child loses out, and extra support for those in need..

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HEALS often deal with complex cases, where multiple types of support are required. Financial difficulties often lead to mental health issues which then spiral into what seem unsurmountable problems. The cost of living crisis is significantly increasing hardship in our area and our services have been stretched in helping individuals and families in dire straits. Xmas can be a difficult time for those that are lonely or cannot afford both heating and food, let alone gifts or treats.

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We plan to increase our case work support to cope with the uptick in demand at this time of year, exacerbated by many other organisations closing down over the Christmas holidays. Our much anticipated annual Christmas lunch will be delivered along with a programme of activities, mobilising an army of volunteers to complete this logistical challenge. With Operation Santa, we make sure that every child in a household facing hardship gets a present.

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The funding donated during the Big Give campaign will enable HEALS to 

• Provide a Community Christmas lunch for around 100 people that are vulnerable, isolated or facing hardship in our community. Attended by the St Joseph's school choir and local musicians to lift spirits

• Organise activities for children in school holidays and a trip to the pantomime pre-Christmas for younger families 

• Increase counsellor hours to cope with increasing case load and complexity, exacerbated by the hardship faced during this Cost of Living crisis

• Recruit and train more volunteers that can help with canvassing food and gift contributions, restocking our community fridge and wardrobe, event organisation and execution, provide lifts or distribute food parcels to those in need in rural areas

• Increase staff hours to organise and orchestrate the expanded HEALS Winter Programme, now a complex mix of activities given the aftermath and ongoing issues generated by Covid and the Cost of Living crisis

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If we achieve our fundraising aims, the funding will be spent on the following

• £4,000 – Christmas Community Lunch - food and transport. 

• £3,000 – Operation Santa - sourcing a range of relevant Christmas gifts for up to 200 children in 80 families

• £6,000 – Trips to the Pantomime in Swindon - transport, tickets and refreshments. 

• £4,000 – Top up payments for fuel to those having to make the choice between heating and eating over Christmas

• £3,000 – Extra staff costs - for increase case load and programme deliver

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Please do support HEALS to support our community this Christmas