Sprinkling a little fairy dust where it is needed most...
Our Manifesto
Hoping to spread the sparkle and joy of giving one shoebox at a time...
The Shoebox Fairies are an independent UK charity based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. We have no religious affiliations and our volunteers and donors may come from different beliefs and background - united by their vision to help relieve poverty and bring joy to those who need it most.
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It is our goal to help tackle poverty at a local level. Data from the Social Metrics Commission (SMC) in 2017/2018 showed that 14.3 million people in the UK are living in poverty. This is based on the definition of poverty that a family earns less than 60% of the median income (including any state benefits) for their "family type"subtracting housing costs .
Approximately 34% of children are living in poverty in the UK according to the SMC and 30% of single parent households are also living in poverty. Increasingly working age adults in poverty are likely to be in working families and these statistics are rising with 56% people living in poverty in a household where at least one person had a job, compared with 39% 20 years ago.
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Although our Christmas Shoebox Appeal is by far our biggest campaign, our smaller projects which run throughout the year are equally important in helping support those in vulnerable groups.
Testimonials
It has been a pleasure to be part of the shoe box Fairies appeal, the children have really enjoyed helping to make the present boxes and we have talked lots about how we can be kind and help others. It has been a true learning experience for all and we can’t wait to get involved again next year!
Headstart Pre-school Appley Bridge
It was lovely to see our community coming together to give the gift of Christmas. After such a hard year for all it was extremely heart warming it made us so proud to be apart of it.