Today, Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) has launched its new Christmas “Season’s Giftings” campaign, where FFT will be accepting donations of gifts to be distributed to Romany and Traveller families in Sussex over the holiday period. The gifts can be bought here.
As the cost of living crisis continues to rip through our society and inflation continues to increase, the real-term cost of goods has risen considerably. This is especially true for essential items such as household goods and food.
For Romany, Traveller or nomadic people who travel, gas bottles are vital in ensuring you can warm your home or cook your food and yet, the cost of gas bottles currently stands at around £150 just for a week’s worth.
As part of our local outreach to many of Sussex’s Romany and Traveller communities, we’re acutely aware of how many parents will find themselves stuck between a rock and hard place this Christmas thanks to this ongoing crisis.
With the festive period around the corner, there will be families and individuals with little to no respite from the burden of trying to stay safe, secure and healthy.
Whilst many of us will also experience difficulties, rising costs present the latest challenge in a long line of compounding inequalities experienced by Romany, Traveller and nomadic communities.
No one should have to choose between feeding their family and giving the gift of cheer to their children during the festive period.
At Friends, Families and Travellers, we have sought to alleviate the pressures of everyday life for many of Sussex’s Romany and Traveller people, through our brilliant Outreach and Casework teams. This is where you come in!
To be able to spread some holiday cheer throughout this difficult period, we need your support. We have created a bespoke series of ‘gifts’ that you can give to Romany or Traveller families in Sussex, whether it’s a toy for a young child to open on Christmas or a gas bottle to ensure a family can stay warm through the colder days.
By gifting something, you would be offering joy and taking a heavy load off parents shoulders. Please see the bespoke gifts here, and consider spreading some festive spirit to support families at this hard time of year.
For any enquiries relating to the Season’s Giftings, contact us.
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