Guardian Readers’ Christmas Hope Appeal Surpasses £500,000 for Grassroots Charities in 2025
The Guardian readers’ Christmas Hope appeal has raised more than £500,000 to support five UK grassroots charities as of 23 December 2025. The appeal funds Citizens UK, the Linking Network, Locality, Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust, and Who Is Your Neighbour?, all of which run practical projects aimed at fostering empathy, building trust, and addressing local challenges such as affordable housing, youth clubs, arts projects, and food kitchens.
Launched earlier in December 2025, the appeal responded to rising extremism, harassment, anti-migrant rhetoric, and racism with a message of hope and community solidarity. Coverage highlighted SaSh, a Jewish–Muslim food kitchen project supported by Hope Unlimited, which tackles hatred and hunger through collaborative community effort.
Gurinder Josan Singh, chair of Hope Unlimited, expressed gratitude to Guardian readers and emphasized that donations will fund local groups active at the forefront of countering hate and building hope. Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner noted that these charities share values of tolerance, compassion, and common humanity, and she affirmed that their work will endure despite prevailing hate.
The coverage also featured a Guardian film showcasing Locality’s Back on the Map initiative and Who Is Your Neighbour?’s pioneering work facilitating difficult conversations within communities.
