Hi readers,

Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings!

This week’s #MaketheMostofMonday is themed slightly differently this week. I know I usually leave you guys raring to go for the week ahead (I hope… 😉), this week is all about celebrating the amazing successful Christmas appeals that have been run in the last couple of months.

So, without further ado, here is your small burst and roundup of positive news to start this festive week with a smile 😊

* Metropolitan Police & The Childhood Trust – As mentioned in Edition Four, this year The Met Police launched their annual Christmas Appeal in collaboration with The Childhood Trust with the goal to top last year’s efforts. Did they succeed in their aim? YES! They received 22,000 gift donations and received over £33,000 on their just-giving page. The funds will be used to buy presents and give (alongside the ones received) to children across London, who may not otherwise have received one this festive season. Due to the generosity of London, they are also able to use the remainder of the money received to support children in need throughout 2020 by The Childhood Trust. Check out stories from the Tower Hamlets Police highlighting some of the 770 presents that they received to give to looked after children in Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Also, alongside clicking the link above, you can find out more information using the hashtag #MetXmasTree. Well done London!

* The Together Trust – To say they’ve been busy this Christmas is an understatement! The Together Trust kicked off their appeal with their annual carol concert, following a Christmas Fair in collaboration with the Medicines Evaluation Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital which raised just under £1000. Then, teaming up with Vernon Building Society and Imagine radio, they've gathered over 300 donations of toys so far, completely in awe from the support from the local community. If that wasn’t enough, the Roughley’s with permission from Father Christmas, became Santa’s for the day and delivered toys to The Together Trust Cheadle HQ. They’ve also done SO much more, I would be here all day trying to sum it all up, so read their summary here. Warning – may bring a tear to your eye...

* Fareshare - Fareshare have also been working extremely hard by gathering and distributing food donations as well as fundraising. There's a new tweet at least everyday highlighting the some great success stories. Here's a selection for you: Nurture Brands provided food to create a whopping 50,000 meals, John Lewis and Waitrose are hosting Community Festive Feasts for over 1,000 people across the UK this Christmas and also Tesco are giving a donation to Fareshare with every purchase of their Elf pyjamas! Go get yours now! With estimations to provide over 2 MILLION meals this December to over 11,000 charities (based on last years figures and progress so far), its safe to say Fareshare have absolutely smashed it. Keep following their progress!

* Family Action - Family Action’s Toy Appeal 2019 has been the biggest and best yet! With over 100 companies donating and delivering over 8,000 gifts to the 70 Family Action services involved. They've also had companies fundraise more for them than ever, with nearly £6000 being raised on JustGiving alone. Through everyone’s efforts and generosity they've ensured that children, who would otherwise go without at this time of year, have received a present and can take part in Christmas festivities. Read one of my favourite success stories here, such amazing work! 

I hope these stories made you smile as much as I did! There are many organisations still accepting donations nationwide.

That’s it from me, I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of #makethemostofmonday. If you did, please share it using the hashtag above or drop us a line at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy this festive season however you choose to celebrate. I look forward to seeing you all in the new year, and ready to make this next year the most productive one yet. And as always, every Monday you can count on me to be here providing you with the inspiration and positive news to keep you going. See you guys then ❤