Christmas Jumper Day is back! And whilst it may look a little different after a challenging year, Save the Children is hoping that flashing, festive knits will still be sweeping the nation on Friday 11th December, creating much-needed Christmas cheer and a chance to raise money for the world’s most vulnerable children in the UK and around the world.
Credit/Copyright: Tom Dymond
Expect virtual calls to be taken over by jumpers festooned with jingle bells, twinkling lights and sparkles galore; children ditching their school uniforms in favour of their daftest winter woollies and dogs rocking last year’s tinsel as the nation prepares for the annual fundraiser.
This year, a whole host of celebrities have signed up to support Christmas Jumper Day, including Jaime Winstone, Alex Scott, Thanyia Moore, Nicola Adams, Holly Willoughby, Ed Balls, Peter Andre, Kem Cetinay, Chris Hughes, Josh Denzel, Katie Piper, Lee Ridley, Liam Charles, Ovie Soko, Vicky Pattinson, Georgia Toffolo, Aston Merrygold, Dom Joly and Adam Pearson. They have all popped on a festive pullover to mark their support for the campaign.
Now in its ninth edition, Christmas Jumper Day has raised a whopping £25.1million since its launch in 2012. And this year, joining in the festive fun is more important than ever. As a result of Covid-19, more children are living in poverty, going hungry and are unable to learn, which is why Save the Children is asking the British public to get involved and help change their futures for the better. To take part, all people have to do is make, upcycle, borrow or buy a festive sweater and donate £2 (or £1 for kids) to Save the Children!
This year, Save the Children is aiming to create the most sustainable Christmas Jumper Day yet. Rather than buying anything new, the children’s charity is encouraging participants to dig out an old jumper and get crafty or head to a local Save the Children charity shop, or online, to pick out a pre-loved festive knit. People can even order a donation bag online to donate old jumpers for the charity to re-sell, win win!
Save the Children is also one of ASOS Marketplace’s official charity boutique partners, selling a selection of vintage Christmas jumpers on the online fashion platform, ahead of the big day.
This year, people can fundraise in whatever way works best– whether that’s a playground or office jumper challenge, a socially distanced Christmas party or a virtual quiz. Whether at home, at school, or on top of Mount Everest, there’s no excuse not to get involved.
People can sign up at www.christmasjumperday.org and they will receive a free fundraising pack, full of handy tips on planning a great day, in a Covid-19 secure way. Here are some other ideas to raise more money and make the day more fun, whilst staying safe:
- Get crafty with last year’s jumpers! Kids can grab an old sweater and cover it with stickers, tinsel, tin foil or whatever sparkly stuff they can find. Or hold a jumper-decorating session at school.
- Swap shops are a great way of recycling old jumpers and not buying new! If schools do want to arrange swap shops make sure all knits are freshly washed and left for 72 hours
- Leave cash for 72 hours after collecting it and wash hands for 20 seconds after handling
- As parents and caregivers might not be allowed into school in the coming months, Save the Children has created a JustGiving page for schools this year as an alternative way for children to donate their £1. A link will be included in each fundraising pack.
- If you are planning on taking a Christmas jumper filled classroom picture remember to abide by the most up to date social distancing rules
To celebrate Christmas Jumper Day, Save the Children have printed a limited edition edit of Share the Love vintage jumpers. To make sure people can have a sustainable Christmas Jumper Day each slogan has been printed on one-off vintage sweaters and can be worn all year round. The jumpers are £20 each and are available in a variety of colours from www.savethechildren.org.uk. 100% of profits from every purchase will go towards helping change the lives of children across the world.
As headline partner for Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day this year, Jacob’s will refashion its bestselling Christmas Caddies with a festive makeover. The 2020 line-up includes Caddies from Mini Cheddars and Twiglets, as well as Cracker Crisps Sour Cream & Chives and Cheeselets – which has been temporarily renamed Treeselets as a nod to the snack’s festive new shape.
Each of the four products will be dressed up in Christmas jumper-style packaging to match the festive knits that will be sweeping the nation on Christmas Jumper Day. Jacob’s will be donating £100,000 to Save the Children, to help the most vulnerable children in the UK and around the world to stay safe, healthy and learning, and change the future for good.
Another partner celebrating Christmas Jumper Day this year is The Entertainer who are selling an exclusive, limited edition toy set of the Peppa Pig family – each wearing their own Christmas jumper! The set retails at £9.99 and for each one sold, 50p will be donated to Save the Children, to help children around the world this Christmas.
Ladybird is also teaming up with Save the Children and Peppa Pig to support Christmas Jumper Day. For a second year running, Peppa’s Christmas Jumper Day will be available from all good book stockists, retailing at £4.99 with a 10% donation from the sale of each book being given to Save the Children.
Taking part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day will help support some of the world’s most vulnerable children in the UK and around the world. In fact, £1 could pay for antibiotics to treat five children suffering from pneumonia, one of the biggest killers of children in South Sudan, £2 could pay for a bottle of hand sanitiser to help fight Covid-19 in a Save the Children medical clinic, and £6 could buy a face shield for a superhero health worker in Yemen.
