2026 Christmas gifts/toys for children spending Christmas at the Didcot Women's Refuge 

                                          

This Christmas, St Matthew’s Harwell and All Saints’ Chilton are once more supporting our
local Women’s Refuge by providing gifts for mothers to give to their children on Christmas
day. This Refuge is now in Didcot rather than Oxford (the Oxford one has closed).

Some people will have already expended their Christmas budget on providing gifts for
injured Ukrainian soldiers. Please do not feel under any pressure to provide a further gift
for a child at the Refuge.

Why is there a need for gifts?
As you might imagine, women and their children tend to flee to the refuge with very few
belongings. So possessions are scarce and spare cash is tight for these families.
Unfortunately, domestic violence is particularly prevalent over the Christmas period, so
the refuge often experiences an influx then. Having a decent gift to give their child at
Christmas can make an enormous difference to these mothers and children. Gifts are also
used for a Christmas party for the families, and as ‘welcome’ gifts for children coming to
the Refuge throughout the year.

What are the timings?
Please bring your gift to one of our church services on Sunday 29 November. The service
at All Saints’, Chilton starts at 9.30am. The service at St Matthew’s, Harwell starts at
10.30am. Alternatively, you can hand your gift in at the Church Office by 1.00pm on
Thursday 26 November. The office is normally open Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm and is
up the spiral staircase near the back of St. Matthew’s church, Harwell.

What kind of gifts are needed?
This year we are appealing for donations of toys/gifts suitable for children aged 3-10
years (the easiest ages to buy for!). See the list below for the number of children of each
sex and age who are expected to be in residence at the Refuge at Christmas. Items with
violent connotations (e.g. with images of swords, guns, etc) would not be a good idea, for
obvious reasons.

The toys should be new and unwrapped. Gifts for the mothers at the Refuge are not
required. Toys suitable for young children should be deemed as safe for those ages –
check the label/packaging before you buy.

These are the age and sex of the children we need to cover this year:

 5 boys aged 3-5 years
 1 girl aged 3-5 years
 1 boy aged 8-10 years
 1 girl aged 8-10 years

If you would like advice about what to donate, feel free to contact Jane Woolley on Tel (01235) 221 030 or janemn.woolley@hotmail.co.uk.
Chilton PCC would like any monetary gifts to be donated to the SeeSaw Charity which provides grief support for the children of Oxfordshire.