Cornish Christmas Giving Catalogue

Baby Basics Cornwall, set up by the Tribute Cluster (Menheniot, St Cleer, Pensilva, and Quethiock churches), provides vulnerable families with the essentials for children up to five years across Cornwall.

We also provide family toiletry packs (including shower gel, period products, toothbrush and paste, and toddler and baby items) to families.

Many of our items are preloved donations, but we need to buy brand new mattresses for cots and moses baskets, and brand new bottles.

Backpack Beds provide shelter that can help improve the lives of people who face the prospect of rough sleeping on the streets of Cornwall.

Backpack Beds are a project of the Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum which has distributed 200 backpack beds in conjunction with key partners who provide support for the homeless in the county.

Backpack Beds are durable, waterproof and cost effective and immediately improves the dignity, health, sleep, warmth, comfort and safety of people sleeping on our streets.

Backpack Beds are not the permanent solution to preventing or relieving homelessness: but Backpack Beds do offer a simple short-term solution to help vulnerable people take the first steps away from rough sleeping.

Cornwall Refuge Trust provides a safe supportive environment for men, women and children who have escaped domestic abuse. They offer support and advice, empowering survivors of domestic abuse for a safer and happier future.

The charity was founded in 1979 by women from local churches who sought to provide a temporary place of safety for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

The trust has developed over the years and now provides refuge accommodation for up to six women and their children and also supports male victims of domestic abuse, providing refuge accommodation for up to five men and their children. Cornwall Refuge Trust also provides a 24-hour domestic abuse helpline (01872 225629) and a domestic abuse counselling service (the Waves Project).

The individuals and families who come into refuge are likely to have fled their home with short notice and therefore often arrive with little more than they are wearing.

Citizens Advice Cornwall offers free, independent and confidential advice.

Demand for our services has increased by 147% and we are working with more people in employment but struggling to cope with the cost of living. Your donation can be a lifeline to a family in crisis this Christmas.

Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families was established in 2018 to deliver the Government’s Community Sponsorship scheme, set up to resettle refugee families displaced by the Syrian war.

By 2024 we had successfully resettled three families in Falmouth with a network of volunteers who help with language teaching, health, schools, jobs and social support.  We also support a wider group of refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Food Troops provides food education and surplus food parcels for families in and around Redruth.

Our educational food-focused workshops encourage healthy eating within the family, increasing a range of fruit and veg in our diets and bring the community together through good food and sharing of skills and experiences.

We operate from our community kitchen and garden in Redruth where we distribute surplus food otherwise destined for landfill and grow our own range of organic fruit and vegetables to be used in our workshops and cooked up into nutritious meals for people in need.

Go Beyond is the charity giving children and young people facing serious challenges in their lives the chance for a break that lasts a lifetime.

Go Beyond’s expert staff and committed volunteers give children and young people who have been bereaved, abused or bullied, who are living in poverty or caring for loved ones the chance to escape their worries and pressures. To have the moments and experiences they need to believe in themselves and think beyond the day-to-day for a bigger, brighter future. Every break is totally free-of charge for the children and young people.

Hidden Help is a charity which delivers essential furniture and household items (donated by the local community) to individuals and families in need, including those who have been rehoused after seeking refuge from domestic violence, the homeless, the long-term unemployed, asylum seekers, individuals with chronic illness or disability, ex-offenders etc.  These services are provided entirely free of charge to clients referred to us by social services.

Those provided with living accommodation often find themselves in empty apartments with no basic amenities.  We address this gap, ensuring that individuals and families have the necessary resources to live with dignity and help alleviate financial strain so that they are better able to focus on their future.

Home-Start Kernow offers free, confidential support, friendship and practical help to parents of children under five in Cornwall who are going through a difficult time.

Being a parent, whatever your situation, can be very difficult, especially when children are young. Many parents feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the stresses of family life, particularly if they have little support from family and friends when they need it most.

For some parents it’s a particular struggle because they are also having to cope with issues such as post-natal depression, their or their child’s illness or disability, isolation or multiple births.

That’s when parents need support. That’s when Home-Start Kernow can help. Support is offered through homevisiting and groups via a network of trained volunteers, all under the supervision of a small staff team.

iSight Cornwall is Cornwall’s independent sight loss charity and we’ve been providing support to blind and visually impaired people since 1856.

We understand the complex and potentially life-changing nature of sight loss.  Our dedicated and professional team will help anyone with sight loss whether they need practical support to continue doing the things they love, or someone to talk to about the changes they are facing.

There are over 24,000 people living in Cornwall with sight loss who may need our support whether that’s for low vision, independent living, technology or clubs and activities.

Kernow Positive Support (KPS) works to improve the wellbeing and quality of life for people in Cornwall affected by HIV by providing guidance and support.  KPS is based in The Hub, and has links to the HIV Suite (The Marram Clinic).

It provides a range of support services for people in Cornwall living with or affected by HIV, offering guidance and support through tailored services for clients’ individual needs.  KPS aims to combat stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV, helping to empower and support.

KPS is a registered charity, 1186054, and is dependent on grants, voluntary contributions and its own fundraising efforts.

No One Goes Hungry – Probus and Surrounding Area supports people in the mostly rural area between Truro and St Austell.

We operate a community larder four times a week where anyone can drop in to access free food – a mixture of store cupboard essentials, fresh fruit and veg, supermarket surplus and baby supplies. We are also supported with fresh food from a number of local businesses who donate food to the project.

At Christmas we provide hampers containing everything for a fresh Christmas Dinner for those who request one or are nominated to receive one.

We are currently supporting around 150-200 people per week and since the cost of living crisis has hit out numbers are increasing week on week.

We work with a local catering company to provide high quality nutritious meals for children during the school holidays.

Penzance Breakfast Project’s aim is to provide a cooked breakfast in a warm, dry and safe place, five days a week for people who are homeless in the Penzance area.

Its base in the Breadline Centre, a resource centre for the St Petroc’s organisation, means that there is access to advice and support from St Petroc’s staff.

The success of the project lies with the small team of dedicated volunteers who provide this service alongside the manager and co-ordinator.

In today’s increasingly stressful and hectic world, more and more people are looking to Samaritans as a means of helping them cope with day-to-day issues, crises and disasters.

Run entirely by volunteers and funded from donations and fund raising, Samaritans of Cornwall at Truro is the only branch of this organisation based solely in the Duchy. Last year, volunteers in the branch responded to 52,000 calls for help. We are available via phone, email, text, SMS and face-to-face.

Whatever the caller wants to discuss, Samaritans offer a confidential, nonjudgmental space to explore what is going on. It costs £50,000 a year to run the Truro branch. We rely entirely on donations to maintain our services.

St Petrocs acts as the last line of defence against someone having to sleep outside.

Where people find themselves pushed into homelessness, we act quickly to use our outreach and resettlement services to secure appropriate accommodation. Our residential services offer accommodation with support to provide a foundation for individuals to build on, towards independent living. We work with the relevant agencies to ensure permanent housing solutions are found and adequate support is provided.

We will ensure that people get access to the support which is their basic human right.

Truro Homeless Action Group (THAG) provides a warm welcome, food and shelter and a regular and safe place for the homeless and vulnerably housed to meet. Around 30 volunteers regularly give two hours a week to provide free cooked breakfasts, seven days a week, 365 days a year. On Christmas Day a turkey lunch is served and a late brunch on Boxing Day.

As well as food, THAG also provides toiletries, flasks, razors, thermals in winter, along with socks, gloves, hats, scarves, and underwear. THAG was first formed over 25 years ago after the night shelter in St George’s Road was closed.

THAG is based at the Church Hall of St John the Evangelist in Strangways Terrace, Truro.

THAG is always happy to welcome new volunteers. Email thag@trurotogether.co.uk

Truro Nourish Hub CIC was established as a community project to enable people to cook healthy and affordable meals.  Everyone is welcome; we aim to create a safe place for those interested in cooking, and those who are looking for a place to meet and socialise with other people.  We recognise that loneliness is a major problem for many people.

Truro Nourish Hub CIC is a non-profit organisation.  We work with a number of organisations including Truro Foodbank and Truro City Council by serving the community with education on nutrition, cookery skills and fighting food waste in the home.

By supporting Truro Nourish Hub CIC, we can continue our work in connecting people to their communities and help in the fight against food waste.

Through your prayers and donations, The Fishermen’s Mission maintains a Christian presence in the UK’s fishing communities, in order to provide, practical welfare and spiritual support to active and retired fishermen and their families.

Demand for our services last year Cornwall rose by 150%, mainly due to the cost-of-living crisis and the need for mental health counselling.  Fishermen are inherently proud individuals who often keep their challenges to themselves.  They navigate through the good and bad days, knowing that the charity is a reliable source of support when needed.

The Wave Project helps to improve the mental health and well-being of young people across the UK, through the power of surf therapy.  Our courses are aimed for children deemed at risk of mental health challenges for a variety of reasons, such as bullying, abuse, autism, neglect, and bereavement.

We run projects from beaches in Bude, Polzeath, Newquay, Gwithian and St Ives.  Every year we help approximately 2,000 children and young people across the UK with around 550 of those coming from Cornwall.

With your support, we aim to support these children and young people by delivering our impactful programmes.

Young People Cornwall has been inspiring change across the county for the last 50 years.  We lead dynamic youth projects and provide crucial support services that empower young people to face life’s challenges with confidence.  Through our dedicated youth centres and wellbeing support, we engage with over 6,000 young people every year, ensuring that every young person in Cornwall has the opportunity to thrive.

Your support helps us continue this vital work, making a lasting difference in the lives of Cornwall’s young people.  Together, we can ensure a brighter future for the next generation.

Cornish Food Banks continue to provide food parcels to those families and individuals that have low incomes and cannot afford basic groceries.

Our food banks also provide food for children during the school holidays and also provide baby food and baby provisions, washing products, fuel vouchers and pet food.

At Christmas, most food banks also provide presents for the children of families suffering from food poverty.

Over the last six years demand for emergency food parcels across the South West have gone up by 108%.  Donations, in all of our towns and villages, are essential to help those most in need of help.

To make a donation to a food bank, please enter its location on the Order Form, along with the amount you wish to donate.

Our Cornish Food Banks:

• Bude
• Callington
• Camborne, Pool & Redruth
• Hayle
• Helston
• Launceston
• Liskeard & Looe
• Newquay
• Penryn & Falmouth
• St Austell
• St Ives
• Saltash
• Threemilestone
• Wadebridge
• Penzance