Last Christmas, you may not have given us your heart, but you certainly showed it! From watching and supporting our BBC Lifeline Appeal and Christmas concert to donating to our Big Give Christmas Challenge, we’re pleased to announce that thanks to the generosity of kind people like you, our Christmas activities have so far raised an amazing £53,000.

The money raised will enable us to continue empowering people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss to challenge what they expect from life, from themselves and from wider society.

BBC Lifeline Appeal

Christmas activities at SeeAbility kickstarted with our BBC Lifeline Appeal on Sunday 21 November 2021. Presented by TV presenter Helen Fospero, the appeal followed the stories of Beatrix, Kiyana and Conor, who have been able to overcome huge barriers and achieve things they never thought possible through our support. You can still watch our BBC Lifeline Appeal online today by clicking here.

The Big Give Christmas Challenge

A week later, on 30 November we took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge, the UK’s largest online match funding campaign. Told through the lens of SeeAbility support worker Darren, our 2021 Big Give Christmas Appeal aimed to raise £30k during the seven-day giving window to make digital inclusion a reality for people with disabilities. Thanks to you and all of our brilliant supporters we raised over £43k! This will enable us to tackle the digital divide by providing adapted technology for people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss, as well as teaching them the skills they need to live a connected life, take up a hobby or even find paid employment.

Did you know, the first six months of our Creating Connections programme supported over 1,400 people with learning disabilities with training and advice to help combat digital exclusion and loneliness? You can find out more in our 2021 Impact Report.

Christmas concert

And last, but not least, our Christmas activities finished with a spectacular festive Christmas concert on 15 December. Live streamed from St George’s Christian Centre in Ashtead, our Christmas concert featured the amazing duo Bryan Edery and Amy Boujenah, the very talented Kaylee Rogers as well as the incredible Epsom Male Voice Choir. Our concert is still available to watch below.

Thank you

Many thanks once again to everyone who supported us during the festive season. As we move into 2022, with your continued support we look forward to empowering even more people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss to live, love, thrive and belong as equals in society.