Two Welsh families donate £40,000 to charity supporting children at Christmas

A service offering vital support for children across the UK will be getting a significant boost this Christmas thanks to the generosity of two Welsh families.

The Peterson and the Bowles families, both from Cardiff, have come together to fund the NSPCC’s Childline Service on Christmas Day.

The families are donating £20,000 each to the charity’s One Unforgettable Day project. The £40,000 donation will cover the cost of running the service throughout the UK for an entire day.

Childline, which has 12 bases around the country, is a free, confidential service available to children and young people under 19 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Between 24 December 2024 and 4 January 2025 staff and volunteers delivered 4,261 counselling sessions, marking the festive season as a difficult time for many children and young people.

There are several reasons they may contact Childline over Christmas, including mental health worries generated by stress and arguments or financial difficulties in their families.

Christmas can also be a time where the risk of abuse, neglect or domestic violence and loneliness increases as schools are closed and contact with support networks is reduced.

Childline is primarily funded through donations, fundraising and partnerships with companies and other charities.

The £40,000 donation by Alan, Maggie and Hywel Peterson and Nathan and Claire Bowles and their four children will ensure staff and volunteers are on hand to help and support children and young people who contact the service on Christmas Day.

Hywel Peterson MBE, Chair of NSPCC Cymru Fundraising Board, said: “It’s an honour to help fund Childline across the whole of the UK this Christmas. This joint donation will ensure our dedicated staff and volunteers are there to support any child who needs us.”

Welsh entrepreneur, Nathan Bowles, said: “We know that Christmas can be a difficult time for some children, so our family is delighted to be joining forces with the Petersons this year to support this vital service.”

Childline team manager at NSPCC Cymru’s Cardiff base, Louise Israel, said: “While children and young people need Childline all year round, we speak to many children who talk about how difficult they find this time of year for many different reasons.

“It is only with the support of such generous people as the Peterson and Bowles families that our staff and volunteers can continue to be here to support them throughout the Christmas holidays. Thank you so much for your kindness, this really will make a difference to the lives of children and young people who contact Childline.”

Children can call Childline on 0800 11 11 or get in touch via their site.

Anyone with concerns about the welfare of a child can call the NSPCC Helpline seven days a week on 0808 800 5000 or visit www.nspcc.org.uk for advice.