Supporting Local Charities, Community and Faith Groups this Festive Season 

 

The festive season can be a joyful but difficult time for many, and we know there are residents in Sutton that will struggle to make ends meet this year.

We’re pleased to be supporting local charities, community and faith groups with their fundraising campaigns in the run up to Christmas.  In previous years, the campaign has seen charities receive an increase in donations especially this time of year.

Scroll down to learn more about the different campaigns some of vital charities, community and faith groups are running and how you can support them.  If you’re a local charity, community or faith group and would like to feature on this page please contact  Sara@communityactionsutton.org.uk

 

 

ASKI

Aski’s surveys show that older people suffer more in winter — isolation and poor health are worsened by cold weather, poor transport, and the cost-of-living crisis.  This winter, we are fundraising for a joyful and inclusive programme of weekly dance sessions (in-person and online) to get bodies moving, lift spirits, combat isolation, make friends and be part of a friendly community.

Can you help?

From 9–12 December, during the Big Give Christmas Challenge, your donation will be doubled.

Click the donate button below to make a donation today.  Help Older People Dance Through Winter and Tackle Loneliness.

 

 

Riverside Community Association

Riverside Community Association manage the Riverside Centre in Carshalton.

They support two projects, SM5, which is our Family Support and Wellbeing Hub and Time Out Youth Project, for children, young people and families.

• £5 will allow us to support a local family with a Christmas food parcel
• £10 will allow us to support a local family with a large Christmas food parcel

Click the donate button below to to help support a local family with a Christmas food parcel.

 

 

 

Sutton Music Trust

Sutton Music Trust is the borough's music service. Our aim at Sutton Music Trust is to help every young person in the London Borough of Sutton to make, be inspired by and to celebrate the music they love. We are committed to making a difference to the lives of young people through music.

We deliver a wide range of services to pursue excellence in education settings and improve the lives of children, young people, and families.  

Any amount you wish to donate will be gratefully received and will support our children and young people in making music.
This would include remissions for band, orchestra, or choir membership; instrumental tuition with an SMT tutor; support with exam fees; instrument hire; or payment towards residential trips.

• £38.50 a term will pay for a student's instrument hire.
• £84.50 a term will pay for a students band, orchestra, or choir membership.

Click the donate button below to support children and young people in making music.

 

 

Creating Hope

Creating Hope is all about compassion and community. We're here to support people in Sutton who are struggling with debt and poverty, helping them build confidence through money management, budgeting, job support with our Job Club, and everyday life skills. We also offer mental health support through Kintsugi Hope—because we believe in lifting people up and walking alongside them, every step of the way.

Just £20 helps us provide a Christmas hamper to a family in need.

Click the donate button below to help provide a Christmas hamper to a family in need.

 

 

Roundabout

Roundabout Dramatherapy is a Sutton based registered charity that has been working in the Sutton area for 40 years.

Roundabout’s mission is to help children and young people who are traumatised, anxious or experiencing poor mental health. Dramatherapy is a form of arts-based therapy, using drama, storytelling and play to create a safe place and help children and young people turn their lives around. We work in many local schools including Foresters Primary, the Link Primary and Carshalton High School for Girls.

We all know that children and young people are feeling increasingly challenged by the issues they encounter. As a result, demand for our work is reaching unprecedented levels. This is because our Dramatherapy projects achieve genuine, observable changes. We see improved behaviour, better school attendance, and a positive impact for society as a whole.

This Christmas, we are launching our Christmas Cracker Appeal, with a daily, family-friendly joke in the countdown to Christmas.  See our website for more information and for the jokes from 1st December 2025.  

As part of the Christmas Cracker Appeal, can you help us fill the crackers with puppets, sensory putty, dressing up equipment, story books, art materials and more?

Every £10 raised will help provide new materials for the children and young people to work with in their Dramatherapy sessions.

Click the donate button below to help provide new materials for dramatherapy sessions.

 

 

PlayWise Learning CIC

PlayWise is a non-profit organisation supporting young disabled children aged 0-8 years in Sutton and their families through a range of hands-on and home visiting teaching, community groups, parent/ carer workshops and a community hub.  PlayWise also provides training to families and professionals and works with nurseries and schools that support children with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability). 

We run this campaign every year to support the families we work with on a low income - as the cost of living has exponentially risen. We try to ensure they have access to the wonderful Christmas trimmings that so many of us take for granted.

A £40 Asda voucher goes a long way at an expensive time of the year.  We are looking to support at least 100 families this year.  Anything you can donate will be gratefully received and vouchers will be given directly to the families that need it the most.

Click the donate button below to help support one of 100 local fmailies. 

 

 

Cruse Bereavement Support Sutton

Last year we supported 175 bereaved people living in Sutton, with free help and support. We offer grief support through a bended model, via telephone, Zoom and/or in-person including Cruse Chat Line, helpline, telephone assessments, early intervention ‘Understanding Grief’ sessions. Most people benefited from 6-8 one-to-one sessions and peer/group support.

Our volunteers are trained and supervised. We also provide signposting and comprehensive literature.

We grieve because we love and everyone’s experience is unique, some people need more help than others.

The feelings people have when they are grieving can feel unnatural and even scary. Cruse is here to help.

Some people have complex grief reactions and at a time when mental health is in a crisis, bereaved people in Sutton need access to timely intervention. Without our support they would be at a far higher risk of either accessing already pressured statutory service or requiring acute in-patient support. With the challenges in mental health services bereavement support is needed now more than ever.

• £10 will support one session of support
• £60 will cover the six sessions often needed
• It costs us £250 to train a bereavement volunteer

Click the donate button below to support bereaved people living in Sutton.

 

 

SPEAR

SPEAR is a grassroots homelessness charity, supporting people in Sutton and the surrounding area to rebuild their lives away from the streets.

We know that homelessness is much more than just a housing issue, and so we provide a range of accommodation and support services for people to reach their full potential, building communities in which everyone has a place to call home.

• £30 could enable our one of our support workers to accompany a client to a mental health or medical appointment
• £50 could pay for a mobile phone and credit so a client can stay in touch with SPEAR
• £100 helps to provide emergency accommodation for someone sleeping rough
• £250 could pay for a day trip for 10 people to a community venue with lunch

Click the donate button below to support residents in need. 

 

 

Home Start Sutton

Home Start Sutton supports families with children under 5 who are struggling to provide the environment to support their child’s development by provides practical and emotional guidance through different services:

Home Visiting: Trained parent volunteers visit families in their homes, offering one-to-one emotional and practical support, befriending, and help with routines and household organisation.

Family Groups: We run weekly support groups, such as the "Monday Family Support Group" and "Tea & Tots," for isolated parents and children.

The POD: A weekly drop-in service specifically for families with a child under five who are living in temporary or emergency accommodation, providing a safe space, refreshments, and access to advice on benefits, finance, and health.

Parenting Programmes: We offer programmes like the "Circle of Security Programme" and "Nurturing Parent Programme" to help parents understand their child's emotional world, manage challenging behaviour, and build stronger relationships.

Specialised Projects: Joint projects with other organisations offer post-diagnosis support for families with a child with additional needs/disability and perinatal mental health or experiencing domestic abuse.

£30 will ensure a local families has a warm Christmas meal and can heat their homes for the day.

We have identified 20 families who could really benefit from this kind of financial support.

Click the donate button below to a local family in need.

 

 

Age UK Sutton

Age UK Sutton is an independent charity dedicated to helping older people in our community to live well in later life. We provide vital information, expert advice and practical support to enable informed decisions on finances, health and care. As the trusted local experts in ageing well, we combine national knowledge with deep local insight and understanding to deliver accredited, high-quality services that make a real difference. From helping people prepare for later life to supporting those living it, we're here to ensure that later life in Sutton is lived well.

• £4.52 funds a helpline call providing trusted information to an older person
• £28.08 funds a walking group where isolated people meet others and feel connected
• £40.68 funds expert advice to help older people claim benefits they're entitled to
• £39.92 pays for a home visit from a dementia advisor after a new diagnosis
• £69.96 funds a weekly dementia-friendly activity group offering care and support

Click the donate button below to help support an older resident in need.

 

 

Volunteer Centre Sutton

With a history spanning 60 years, Volunteer Centre Sutton is deeply rooted in the local community. Our mission is to build better lives through volunteering by empowering individuals and addressing inequality. Alongside this, we run targeted programmes, which include our award-winning MAPS Mentoring Programme which is a lifeline for over 300 vulnerable, at-risk children and young people annually, including those experiencing poor mental health, isolation or risk of suicide.

Our Befriending service supports around 200 isolated adults with care needs yearly. All of our services are sadly oversubscribed, showing a clear need for our work. As an independent local charity, we are responsible for finding and raising our own funds. Every donation you make goes straight back into providing vital services and support, and building better lives, for the people of Sutton.

• £25 could provide 6 weeks of befriending supporting lonely older adults. Sadly sometimes their befriender is the only person they see and talk to all week.
• £50 could bring some fun into a vulnerable young person’s life by trying a new activity or visiting the theatre for the very first time, gifting them a new experience and giving them some time to forget their worries.

Click the donate button below to help support a sutton resident.