The Sun’s Smiles at Christmas campaign raises £10,000 for vulnerable children
GENEROUS readers have already donated £10,000 to The Sun's Smiles at Christmas campaign.
Since launching the campaign on Monday, we have been swamped with toy and cash donations for four deserving children's charities.
All of the cash and toys will be split between Women's Aid, Children with Cancer, Scotty's Little Soldiers and AMAR.
Now we’re asking more readers to dig deep and give money or toys to four worthwhile charities to help raise as much as possible before Christmas.
To donate, simply visit our page, text KIDS55 to 70070 or send a cheque payable to JustGiving Foundation. See details above.
Your money will help put a smile on children's faces who are suffering this Christmas.
Give cash online now at
Charity no. 1: Scotty’s Little Soldiers
Brooke Scott's widowed mum set up Scotty's Little Soldiers to help support children like her own.
helps children of military personnel who have died serving their country.
It provides gifts, activities, holidays and emotional support. Scotty’s currently has around 270 kids — but believes there are more than 1,000 service youngsters in need of a little extra care.
'Daddy was killed by the baddies'
BRAVE Brooke Scott sleeps with a photo of the daddy she never knew beside her bed.
She was just seven months old when Corporal Lee Scott, 26, died along with five comrades when their armoured vehicle was blown up in Afghanistan in 2009.
Brooke’s widowed mum Nikki set up Scotty’s Little Soldiers to help children like her own.
Wearing her father’s beret and holding his medals, the seven-year-old says: “My daddy was a brave soldier killed by the baddies. Scotty’s helps children like me with a daddy in heaven.”
After Lee died, Nikki, 35, of Wisbech, Cambs, felt there was no outside support for son Kai, who was then five.
She says: “When we went on holiday months later it was the first time Kai had really laughed since Lee died. There were widows’ associations, but nothing for children.”
Scotty’s currently looks after 269 military kids — but Nikki believes there could be 1,000 more who need help.
The charity runs six Scotty’s Lodges holiday homes where families go free each year.
Each child gets birthday and Christmas presents as well as emotional support. Nikki says: “Scotty’s gives children a family of people who understand.”
Charity no. 2: Children With Cancer
give more than £5million a year to research and wants “personalised” treatment for every youngster by 2020.
More than ten children are diagnosed with cancer every day in Britain — and up to 100 will spend this Christmas Day in hospital having treatment.
'Maybe Santa will make me better'
BATTLING Bella-Rose Leach wants to get home for December 25th — so she can be there when Santa comes.
The five-year-old spent the last two Christmases in hospital being treated for blood cancer.
Bella, who cannot recall a time when she was cancer-free, says: “I don’t want any more yucky medicine and want to be there when Father Christmas comes.
“I’ve seen Mummy cry because I’m in pain. I hope to get better so I can be a princess with long hair. Maybe Father Christmas will make me better.”
Children With Cancer aims to help children like Bella, of Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
She has spent ten months in hospital this year having operations, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant for her acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
The charity was founded in 1988 by Eddie O’Gorman after cancer killed son Paul, 14, and daughter Jean, 29.
He says: “All nine children being treated with Paul died. I promised him I’d change that.” Children With Cancer invests £5million a year in research.
It wants each child to get tailored “precision medicine” by 2020. It also provides accommodation for parents of kids at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Charity no. 3: Amar
Eight-year-old Hijram Hassy (right) fled war-torn Mosul with his family - and now wants to go to school and be a teacher
has provided medical aid and education in the Middle East for 24 years.
Backed by patron Prince Charles, for the past two years it has helped the 3.4 million people fleeing the terrifying ISIS invasion of Iraq, building three health centres.
'I get nightmares about the bombs'
TOUSLED-haired Hijram Hassy seems happy enough, but her mother tells a different story.
“She wakes up screaming in the night as if she can hear the bombs again,” says mum Wahbia.
Eight-year-old Hijram’s family cowered for ten days in a tent as Iraqi forces battled to run ISIS out of Mosul.
“We were trapped, with food and water running out,” says mum-of-five Wahbia, 30. “The children were crying in fear. A mortar killed five of our sheep.”
The family escaped to a camp, where they got help in a clinic run by Britain’s Amar International Charitable Foundation. The centre sees 500 people a day. One worker said many of the traumatised children have “forgotten how to play”.
Amar — founded in 1991 by Lady Emma Nicholson — uses locals to give aid, treatment and education for children and adults.
Baroness Nicholson says: “I can assure Sun readers that donations will go straight to helping these poor people. It would be a marvellous way to show the spirit of Christmas.”
A donation of £30 buys a family food for a week.
Asked about the future, smiling Hijram says: “I have awful nightmares but I want to forget the bad times. I want to go to school and be a teacher.
Charity No4: Women’s Aid
Little Peter found shelter in a refuge after his family fled their abusive dad
Women’s Aid is a federation of more than 220 services which help domestic violence victims in refuges across Britain.
The Sun have been campaigning with Women's Aid through our Give Me Shelter campaign to keep the national network of domestic abuse refuges open.
Women's Aid lobbies government on important issues such as this, and educates in schools and communities.
Two women a week are killed by their partner or ex in England and Wales. Last Christmas Day, nearly 2,000 children woke up in a refuge.
'Father Christmas visited my refuge'
LITTLE Peter watched his raging dad throw his mum against the fridge, then choke her until she temporarily lost her eyesight.
It was the final straw for Sofia. She called the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline jointly run by Women’s Aid and was offered a place in a refuge.
Terrified she would be tracked down by her violent partner, Sofia packed just a small case and fled with her son and baby James.
In six months at the refuge the family got support they needed after years of brutality. But at Christmas, six-year-old Peter was worried — he thought Santa would never find him in his new home.
On Christmas Eve there was a party and Sofia was given toys for her boys. “I worried. We left home so quickly,” says Peter. “But Santa did find me and gave me a toy truck.”
Christmas is often the worst time for domestic violence.
Women's Aid has run the national federation for domestic abuse services, which includes a network of refuges, for over 40 years, which saves the lives of abused women and children every day.
Women’s Aid chief executive Polly Neate says: “Donations are vital so no mother or child has to face domestic abuse alone — especially at Christmas.”
Give cash
Online:
Text: To give £2, text KIDS55 2 to 70070. You can change the amount to £3, £4, £5 or £10 by changing the last figure to 3, 4, 5 or 10.
Post: Send a cheque, made payable to JustGiving Foundation, to JustGiving The Sun Appeal, Bluefin Building 2nd Floor, London SE1 0TA
Give toys
You can donate new or used toys in good condition at 1,370 branches of McColl’s convenience stores.
Toys “R” Us will accept new toys only — look for special Sun trolleys near entrances.
Tell pals
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Or tweet using #SmilesAtChristmas to let us know how you’re getting involved!