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If you’re looking for a place to donate this Christmas, I’d like to suggest Christmas for CAMHS. It’s a charity which organises safe and appropriate Christmas gifts for young people on mental health wards.

The charity explains the need for fundraising for this population:

“Christmas For CAMHS was originally set up because volunteers saw a huge disparity in the way CAMHS units were treated over the festive period compared to other NHS services for children and young people. We wanted to do something to change that.

Children are admitted to CAMHS units to receive support and treatment for mental health issues, such as psychosis or depression or eating disorders like anorexia. There are no official figures for how many children will spend the festive season in CAMHS units across the UK, though we often give gifts to over 1500 young people. While many members of the public and corporate donors give Christmas gifts to children’s hospitals or children’s wards in general hospitals, CAMHS units, which are usually based away from other services, are often forgotten, or not known about. We don’t think this is right.”

Christmas on a ward sucks for any child, but Christmas on a ward where it isn’t marked at all sucks even more. If you agree, please consider donating.