2011 Appeal

The Story of Christmas

The first presentation of “The Story of Christmas” at St George’s Hanover Square took place in December 1978. Over the past thirty-four years the associated Appeal has raised more than £5 million for charities helping disadvantaged children and young people and the homeless. In good and difficult economic times the Appeal has been fortunate in gaining the generous support of many companies, individuals and trusts.

2011 Project: CRASH

CRASH is the property and construction industry's charity for homeless people. They are unique in that they are a practical charity focusing on improving the buildings used by homeless people. Their work involves hostels, day centres, night shelters, training centres and move-on accommodation.

Employment Academy: Architect's sketch

The project being supported:
A new Employment Academy for London

Thames Reach requires funding to complete its conversion of a Grade 2 listed Victorian building on Peckham Road into a new centre offering a range of educational and skills-based courses. The centre will help local unemployed people gain the knowledge, practical skills, confidence and connections with employers needed to find work in the private, public and voluntary sectors. The new Thames Reach Employment Academy will be a flagship project helping hundreds of homeless people into education, training and employment.

Employment Academy: Building today

"The Academy will be a place where people are challenged to get involved, where expectations and aspirations are high and which transforms vague hopes into practical objectives and concrete achievements. It will contribute towards ending homelessness by giving formerly homeless people and those experiencing social exclusion the opportunity to make fundamental changes in their lives, building economic independence, personal resilience and, in doing so, extend opportunity and choice. The approach of the Academy will centre on meeting local need, working in partnership with other community bodies and organisations. It will also work collaboratively with employers and training and education providers, seeking to ensure that their jobs, courses and services are accessible and relevant and that there is a strong match between employers' requirements and the skills of people using the Academy."
Jeremy Swain, CEO of Thames Reach

2011 Project: Wooden Spoon

Wooden Spoon is a children's charity founded in 1983 that is dedicated to helping underprivileged children and young people all over the UK and Ireland to live happier, more enriching lives. They partner with the UK rugby community, receiving invaluable support for their activities and the opportunity to raise awareness of the work they do. In doing so, they involve some of the UK's top sporting role models in making a difference in the lives of young people in need.

The project being supported:
A new building for Oasis in Lambeth

Oasis operates in the London borough of Lambeth, where 72% of local families are described as being either deprived or seriously deprived. To brighten up this otherwise bleak urban community, three separate sites have been developed by Oasis to provide opportunities for local children to play together – a nature garden, a cycle adventure playground and a go-kart track. The work complete, these three sites are being successfully managed by Oasis, serving thousands of local children with the fantastic range of collaborative activities on offer.

Now, Oasis wants to take advantage of an opportunity that has emerged. Oasis has been offered the chance to acquire a bolt-together building scheduled for demolition. They want to relocate it and transform it into desperately needed indoor play areas, a new kitchen and a dance and drama room. The Story of Christmas is delighted to support this fantastic endeavour, which will help Oasis to expand the opportunities it can offer by securing the indoor space needed for it to function with better facilities, cater for wider interests and operate in all weather conditions.