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The 12 days of Kitmas at Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
Aim: We want to ensure local kids receive the gift of a Cheltenham Town shirt on Christmas Day
Kitmas is back, ensuring thousands of kids receive the gift of a football shirt on Christmas Day.
And this year, it's more important than ever. Families are struggling to afford gifts due to rising energy bills and the cost of living crisis.
Once again the club will be taking part in the initiative, working with CCP's Hamper Scamper campaign to donate Cheltenham Town shirts to children in the local area.
Last year more than 40 were equally distributed to young football fans at the town's primary schools at Oakwood, Gardners Lane, Sir Thomas More, Hesters Way and Springbank.
This year we want to double that number if we can but we have just 12 days to do it. The CCP will begin distributing their parcels to local schools on December 13, the final week of term.
So that's where you come in. Help us spread the joy of football this Kitmas.
The 12 days of Kitmas
We want to work together over the next 12 days to support local children in our community. We're urging supporters and our partners to help us hit our target by December 12, if they're able to, here on the Crowdfunder page. We will spend every penny on distributing Cheltenham Town shirts within our local community.
How supporters can play their part
Every pound we raise will go towards the cause, so every little helps. Each supporter who donates at least one child's shirt (£25) to our Kitmas campaign will be entered into a prize draw to win a Cheltenham Town shirt, signed by the full squad.
Are you a local business?
We're urging local businesses to work alongside ourselves and the supporters by pledging four or more shirts (£100) to Kitmas. We'll enter each one into a prize draw to win a hospitality package for four people for a forthcoming League One match.
More about Kitmas
Kitmas was founded by football coach and activist Paul Watson and his wife Lizzie, with support from stand up comedians Vix Leyton and Mark Watson (Paul's brother). Their goal is to run this appeal every year and eventually to become a registered charity. Since they started in 2020, they have distributed 3,000 shirts to young football fans with the help of Bristol City, Forest Green Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Exeter City and Frome Town.
In the news
The campaign has been had a lot of coverage since it started. Gary Lineker is a fan and tweeted his followers. Last weekend James Corden also showed his support for the campaign, pledging £2,000 towards the cause. The gesture was widely reported in the national media. And Mark Watson the comedian – one of the founders – spoke to Sky News (you can watch it below).
Who are CCP?
CCP is a Cheltenham-based registered charity (No.1043143) that exists to transform the lives of children, young people, families and vulnerable adults by preventing homelessness, strengthening families and promoting independence. With a head office in the town, they currently employ 220 staff, backed up by a team of 160 volunteers, currently delivering services and projects in Gloucestershire.
CCP's annual Hamper Scamper campaign seeks to relieve some of the financial and emotional burdens of the festive season on families and individuals who are already struggling. They believe that nobody should go without. Their aim is to encourage our community to come together to provide hope to those in need.
This year CCP will be distributing their parcels to local schools between December 12 and December 16.
What we did last year
Last year 40 of our shirts were equally distributed at the primary schools at Oakwood, Gardners Lane, Sir Thomas More, Hesters Way and Springbank.
"We decided to give the shirts equally between the schools so that the teachers can decide which children they think will be deserving. I think this is a good way to get the kits to the right kids!" said Cordell Ray MBE, CEO at CCP, said last year.
"We have donated over 2200 hampers by the end of Hamper Scamper.
"With the support of Cheltenham Town FC we have also been able to give the replica tops to families receiving a hamper . This is an extra, unexpected gift to some families really struggling to make ends meet. We know from experience they will be really grateful.
"On behalf of everyone at CCP, Hamer Scamper and the families we support, I'd like to say a huge thanks to the club and its supporters for choosing to support our festive appeal."
This project successfully funded on 12th December 2022