Jump to content News Business Sport Opinion Politics World Money Life Style Travel Culture Subscribe now Free for one month Log in See all Life The Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal 2021: Who we are supporting and how you can donate This year we’re supporting four important charities: the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Maggie’s, the Alzheimer’s Society and Dogs Trust By Tom Ough 6 November 2021 • 5:00am Cancer charity Maggie’s helps people take back control when cancer turns their lives upside down CREDIT: Philip Durrant Last year’s Christmas was the first to be cancelled since the Puritan era. Faced with the emergence of the Covid delta variant, the Prime Minister reintroduced lockdown measures that effectively put paid to the festive season for millions. It was a dark winter for all of us. But your generosity shone through. Over the course of The Telegraph’s Christmas Charity Appeal, readers dug deep and raised an impressive £836,692. We have been running Christmas appeals for more than a century – a famous early example being the dispatching of Christmas puddings to troops on the First World War front lines – and our readers never disappoint. During last year’s annual phone-in, when our best-known journalists man the donation hotlines, the appeal’s coffers swelled by £124,000 in a single day. Last year, our chosen charities were Refuge, Carers UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Cruse Bereavement Care. Through our appeal, we shared the stories of those helped by each life-changing organisation, encompassing unpaid carers who had seen essential support disappear due to the pandemic; grieving families; cancer patients who had their treatment delayed or cancelled; and survivors of domestic abuse. Lynda Thomas, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, was “incredibly moved” by how readers have taken the time to get to know Macmillan intimately through the inspiring stories of people living with cancer. “The money raised by Telegraph readers,” she says, “will help us to provide clinical advice, financial information and emotional support for anyone affected by cancer. We would like to thank everyone involved who has made this possible.” Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, says: “the generosity of Telegraph readers is staggering. We are hugely grateful to everyone who donated.” No less appreciative of your kindness and support was Steven Wibberley, chief executive at Cruse Bereavement Care. “Telegraph readers have made a huge difference to our ability to reach more bereaved people at this devastating time. The death of someone close can be distressing at any time, but the coronavirus pandemic has taken away coping mechanisms that help with grief.” Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, whose best friend Jo was killed by her abusive husband in 2010, is the chair of Refuge. “I’m overwhelmed by the enduring public support for Refuge, and the wider domestic abuse sector, not least through the generous donations and messages of support from Telegraph readers,” she says. The money raised by the appeal provided the equivalent of more than 3,850 nights of refuge accommodation for a family, and by raising awareness will have helped many people to spot the often insidious signs of domestic abuse. Multiply those good works by four, and you’ll have an idea of what a well-supported appeal can achieve. This brings us to this year’s Telegraph appeal. Our four chosen charities are similarly deserving, and you may already be familiar with their work. Over the next few weeks, we will share stories from each of them. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award helps young people find direction in life The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a teenage rite of passage that is of particular benefit to the underprivileged. In the 65 years since it was founded, more than three million young Britons have achieved an award. Along the way, they learn important skills, many of which help them gain employment, and they undertake volunteering work. You will need no reminding that the DofE this year lost its patron, Prince Philip, but the charity’s work continues. The money donated to the DofE via this year’s Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal will be used in particular to support underprivileged young people who would otherwise not be able to afford to undertake the awards on their own. “The DofE has changed my life,” says Megan, a DofE Gold Award recipient. “It made me the person I am today. It gave me the experience and confidence to talk to new people; and made me realise how resilient and strong I am.” Alzheimer’s Society Peter: ‘I went back to being me’ Beneficiaries of our other charities offer similarly resounding testaments. One of the many people to have been recently helped by Alzheimer’s Society is Peter, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia at the age of 58. “I was scared, confused,” he recalls. “I felt so bad and so down.” “I started spiralling out of control, so I decided – and I’m so ashamed of this now – that I was going to end it all. I was feeling very low and suicidal.” That same week, a letter landed on the doormat from Alzheimer’s Society, inviting Peter to a coffee morning for people with dementia. He went along, but felt awkward about being younger than the other attendees. A dementia adviser, Elaine, visited him the next day and assured Peter that people with dementia can still lead active and meaningful lives. “Within half an hour, it was like someone had turned a light switch back on, and I went back to being me,” he recalls. “She just talked to me and explained various things. She made me realise that there is life after your diagnosis. That woman saved my life – really saved my life. I can never thank her enough for what she did.” Peter has regained his self-esteem and confidence. “If I have a problem I just pick up the phone – there’s always someone there,” he says. Maggie’s Maggie’s provides welcoming facilities for cancer patients, including sessional activities CREDIT: Nick Turner A similar story is told by those who have benefited from Maggie’s, which provides free cancer support and information at its innovative drop-in centres around the UK, and online. Maggie Keswick Jencks, a writer, gardener and designer, had the idea to build modern and welcoming facilities in the vicinity of major cancer hospitals after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 47. Five years later, in 1993, during a check-up at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, she was told it had returned; she and her husband Charles Jencks were moved to a windowless corridor to process the news. It was this that sparked the idea that cancer patients and their loved ones deserved better. Their conversation gave rise to the Maggie’s blueprint: beautiful, ‘starchitect’-designed spaces (from the likes of Norman Foster, Thomas Heatherwick and Daniel Liebeskind) which are homely rather than clinical, but still within hospital grounds, where cancer patients and their friends and family can visit for companionship, information and support. The first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh in 1996, a year after Maggie’s death, and it became the first of many: the 24th centre in the UK will open in Southampton next year. “Maggie’s has been a constant,” says Shelley, who has been a beneficiary of Maggie’s Newcastle. “No matter how busy or quiet it is, the level of support you get is outstanding, and that hasn’t changed with coronavirus. You know that it’s there, and you know that it’s safe.” Dogs Trust Sue McIntyre with Rosie, who she says has made her feel less lonely after her husband died CREDIT: Dogs Trust Dogs Trust, meanwhile, is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK, caring for 15,000 animals each year. When 76-year-old Sue McIntyre from Salisbury lost her husband last October, she found herself having to adjust to life living alone after 31 years of marriage. But after adopting rescue dog Rosie, a deaf 14-year-old terrier cross who had come into the care of Dogs Trust Salisbury after her owner’s death, McIntyre found renewed purpose and companionship. “Even though she can’t speak to me or hear me,” McIntyre says of Rosie, “her presence makes the house feel a lot less empty, and she has done wonders to help me feel less lonely. She’s sociable with other dogs in the neighbourhood so she has encouraged me to chat to other dog owners out and about on walks. “Even though she doesn’t need a lot in terms of exercise, she gives my day purpose, and has helped me keep a routine... She needs to be walked and fed and it falls to me to provide these things. In return, she has given me companionship and a presence while I potter around the house and garden, or watch television together in the evenings.” Over the following weeks we will share more stories of the selfless work of our chosen charities. How the pandemic has affected our chosen charities ‘More and more dogs need our help’ Owen Sharp, chief executive, Dogs Trust The pandemic has been a very human crisis – but the nation’s dogs have suffered, too. As events unfolded, we, like all charities, had to react quickly to ensure that our dogs continued to receive the vital care they so desperately needed. The unwavering dedication of our incredible staff and volunteers meant that despite adapting to the myriad difficulties that lockdown presented – including disruptions to our rehoming processes, Dog School training classes being postponed, key fundraising activities halting overnight and unscrupulous puppy smugglers cashing in on the demand for dogs – stray and abandoned dogs were still able to rely on us to keep them safe and healthy during lockdown and beyond. While we weathered the storm thanks to generous donations from loyal supporters, the fallout from the pandemic is far from over. Looking to the future, we are awake to the crisis patterns we have previously seen unfold and are concerned about the impending dog welfare crises on the horizon. Owen Sharp CREDIT: Dogs Trust From previous experience, more dog owners are forced to make the heart-breaking decision to give up their dogs during periods of financial hardship. Over two million dogs were welcomed into homes during the pandemic, without the usual access to training and socialisation; a cause for concern as dog behaviour problems are the most common reason for dogs being abandoned. In fact, our research has found that over a third of owners of teenage dogs admitted they needed more time for training them. Couple these with the fact that as the world returns to some semblance of normality, dog owners will undoubtedly face tough choices in the months to come. We are determined to stop history repeating itself and, while we can’t predict the future, what we can be certain of is that we will continue to be there to support dogs and their owners, even through the most challenging of times to ensure all dogs live a happy life. dogstrust.org.uk ‘Lockdowns worsened the condition of thousands with dementia’ Spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Society People with dementia have been very badly hit by the pandemic, not only in terms of deaths from the virus itself, but also from the knock-on effects of successive lockdowns – put starkly, the pandemic laid bare the depth of the social care crisis for all to see. We’ve heard from thousands of people with dementia as well as from their families. People with dementia have been devastated by the loss of usual routines and activities, reduced health and care services and being left on their own for so long without being able to see friends and family – causing their condition to rapidly deteriorate. These people may need support earlier than they would have otherwise, and this comes on top of a treatment backlog – it is estimated that around 30,000 fewer diagnoses than expected have taken place. The Alzheimer’s Society supports people with dementia as well as their families CREDIT: Lucy Pope Dementia is the biggest non-communicable health challenge facing the world today, yet there is just 31p spent on dementia research for every £1 on cancer research in the UK. However, dementia research – despite chronic underfunding – had been gaining momentum and starting to deliver some really exciting results, but the impact of the pandemic has been devastating – over half of our researchers had stopped part or all of their research in January 2021. Like many charities, we’ve taken a hit financially while people have needed us more than ever before – our experts on the frontline have heard from so many families in crisis and our support services have been used more than 6 million times since March 2020. The road to recovery for people affected by dementia will be long and tough, so the need for the public’s support has never been more important. alzheimers.org.uk ‘Marginalised young people have been among the hardest hit’ Ruth Marvel, CEO of DofE, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Young people take part in Duke of Edinburgh’s Award preparation at Shipman Youth Centre in Newham, east London CREDIT: Alicia Canter The pandemic has had a seismic impact on young people’s lives, affecting their job opportunities, mental health and education. Marginalised young people have been among the hardest hit. But time and again we’ve seen them show that – with the right opportunities – their potential is limitless. Despite unprecedented disruption, the DofE has continued supporting more than 300,000 young people to do their DofE award during the pandemic, providing them with structure, purpose and a sense of achievement at a time when they needed it most. The DofE has never been more needed. Young people need our help to develop the skills, resilience and self-belief they will need to successfully navigate the uncertain world ahead. We want to give one million young people the chance to do their DofE over the next five years and further our reach to the most marginalised young people across the UK. dofe.org ‘We have never seen such extreme distress as we have seen in our centres in the last 18 months’ Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s The Maggie’s blueprint: beautiful designed spaces (from the likes of Norman Foster, Thomas Heatherwick and Daniel Liebeskind) which are homely rather than clinical We know how hard it is to live with cancer, and we know how much harder it has become in the last 18 months. From the point of diagnosis onwards people can feel stress, fear, anxiety, low mood and distress, but because of the pandemic people now face a threefold psychological blow – the trauma of diagnosis, fear of treatment delays with possible worsened outcomes and the stress of isolation which if left unsupported can be devastating. We have never seen such extreme distress as we have seen in our centres in the last 18 months, but we have 25 years’ experience of helping people to a better psychological place to deal with cancer and we know our support can help people to live well with cancer while also coping with the long-term impact of the coronavirus. maggies.org Related Topics Dogs Trust, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Maggie's Cancer Care, Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal 2021, Alzheimer's Society Twitter Icon Facebook Icon WhatsApp Icon Email Icon The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. 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