Asylum Welcome Christmas Campaign

For many of us Christmas is a chance to relax and spend time with those closest to us, however, this is not the case for everyone. As many of you know, our School Charity for this year is Asylum Welcome. They provide support and advice to some of the most vulnerable refugees and migrants living in Oxfordshire.

For the past two years we have worked with Asylum Welcome providing Christmas gifts and this year is no exception. The current weekly payment for those claiming asylum in the UK is £40.85 and this must cover food, toiletries and clothing among other things. This certainly does not leave room for the treats and luxuries that many of us take for granted each day, such as a coffee on the way to work in the morning or a dinner out with friends after a long week.  

This year, in discussion with Asylum Welcome, we have agreed that gift vouchers would have the biggest impact to those local families and individuals who need it the most at this difficult time. We are asking for these gift cards to be for supermarket chains such as Tesco or Sainsbury’s, allowing the recipient to spend them in whichever way they please.

If you would like to get involved, the suggested voucher value for an individual is £15 and £30 for a family. We are very keen for the personal messages – that have been so powerful in previous years – not to be lost, so we would ask that you purchase the voucher and put it into a Christmas card with a message from your family and send it to: Beyond Teddies Partnerships, St Edward’s School, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 7NN. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can send an e-voucher to partnerships@stedwardsoxford.org with a message and we can arrange for a card to be sent on your behalf. 

Last year 96 Teddies families bought and wrapped up beautiful presents for those most vulnerable families and this year we hope to grow that number.  

With our greatest thanks for your support and generosity,  

The Beyond Teddies Team