In 2022 I saw a documentary about the cost of living crisis and how some families literally had to choose between heating their homes and eating. This really got to me and as it was near Christmas I decided to do something to make a difference to those in need. Even if only for Christmas Day. The Big Christmas Share was born. I only wanted to raise £300 to pay for the Christmas Dinner hampers for the families being supported by Save the Family, but friends, family, colleagues and the wider public raised £800. In stepped Action for Children who took the remaining hampers to the families that they support.In 2023, I only wanted to raise £1,000, but we all donated £3,300, giving ~150 families in need in Flintshire and Cheshire their Christmas day dinners. Even Action for Children couldn't use all of the hampers, so Flintshire County Council social workers took the hampers and distributed them to those most in need.I wanted to do the same again this year, but I asked myself the question, what would it take to ensure every family in Flintshire and Cheshire West could sit down with their loved ones at Christmas and enjoy a Christmas meal. So I contacted both councils and every charitable organisation that dealt with families in food poverty and the answer is £40,000! This would purchase food hampers for the 1,700 families that are known by the aforementioned social services and charities as needing help, as well as the number of people supported by the two major foodbanks in the counties, the Trussell Trust and Flintshire Foodbank. 

The process is quite simple, The Big Christmas Share acts as a tent that brings all charitable and public service organisations together. Then, through fundraising efforts, using GoFundMe and direct donations as the collection vehicle, the aforementioned organisations meet me at a supermarket of their choosing and they then pick and deliver the hampers for their families.

The charities and organisations involved this year are: The two councils that make up the geographic boundary of the effort - Cheshire West and Flintshire County Councils. On the local charity front, Save the Family, Action for Children, The Trussell Trust, Flintshire Foodbank and Chester Aid to The Homeless (CATH) have all requested help in raising funds, which they will then use to purchase the hampers and then they will deliver them to the families in need.