About

2022 sees the eighth Sleigh2Give Christmas present appeal (the annual festive campaign part of Play2Give - registered charity 1200351) which spreads cheer, joy and smiles to children in hospital, low income families across Oxfordshire, those with disabilities, the less fortunate and the vulnerable every year. Each year Thames Valley Charity of the Year Play2Give receives amazing generosity and kindness in abundance from our local community in Oxfordshire and further afield, helping to gift gifts to a wide number of local charities and individuals. Beneficiaries thanks to your generous donations and kindness help so many from young patients in the Oxford Children's Hospital including the children's ward at the Horton hospital in Banbury, Helen & Douglas House, Headway Oxfordshire, two local Oxfordshire branches of Home-Start, Viking House in Oxford, Footsteps, SSNAP, Didcot Foodbank for financially struggling and underprivileged families, Thomley and many more. From what started as a one-off spin-off in 2015 to deliver a few hundred Christmas presents to the Oxford Children's Hospital after Sainsbury's Didcot supermarket worker Lee Crook devised the idea to walk 19 plus miles one morning dressed as Santa to raise money for the hospital has turned into our annual festive tradition. Now, year on year the number of gifts donated and the number of supporters getting behind our festive appeal just grows and grows. Since 2015 we estimated we have raised and distributed out over £220k worth in tens of thousands of presents. In 2021, we received our biggest ever number of presents ever and increased the number of beneficiaries who received a sprinkling of Christmas kindness, even delivering gifts into the new year due to the overwhelming donations of kindness received. ​This year the hope is to again increase the number of gifts so that even more within our community can benefit receiving cheer, joy and smiles at Christmas whilst continuing to change, transform and save lives across Oxfordshire all year round. Play2Give was founded in September 2007 by Didcot's Andrew Baker MBE BCAv. Andy was honoured by The Queen with an MBE in the New Year Honours 2021, an Oxfordshire Youth Enterprise Award and with a British Citizen Award in 2017. Andrew was inspired to fundraise initially for the Oxford Children's Hospital aged 14 in 2003, after receiving childhood treatment including brain surgery aged 12 after being born with a brain injury. Play2Give organises a wide range of events all year round, helping a wide number of people. For full details please see www.play2give.org.uk/sleigh2give Thank you for your support. All donations received online goes to purchasing gifts on the wish list for so many charities, and individuals less fortunate right here in Oxfordshire this Christmas.

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