A season of solidarity: 8 projects empowering people this Christmas

From small villages to big cities, communities across the UK are finding practical, people-powered ways to support one another this festive season. Whether offering warm places to gather, sharing tools and skills, reducing waste or making sure children and families feel remembered at Christmas, these grassroots projects show how local action can create meaningful change. 

1. Warm Welcome – Keeping people warm while combatting loneliness

Staying warm and connected can be a challenge for many people during winter, particularly as social isolation continues to affect people of all ages. Around 7% of the UK population now experiences chronic loneliness, according to recent figures.

Founded in 2022, the Warm Welcome campaign now coordinates more than 5,900 free spaces across the UK. Last winter, these venues hosted around 2.6m visits, offering people a welcoming place close to home. Many provide free hot drinks, biscuits and community lunches, while some also offer informal advice and support.

“Many Warm Welcome Spaces up and down the country organise Christmas meals for people, especially those who would otherwise be alone over the festive period,” says Lucy Rouse, the campaign’s communications manager.

Warm Welcome Spaces can be found via this online map.

2. Library of Things – Lending household items

Based across London, the women-led social enterprise Library of Things aims to make borrowing better than buying, for people and the planet. Members can rent everything from drills and carpet cleaners to pressure washers and projectors, avoiding the cost and waste of buying items rarely used.

First launched in south London in 2014, the Library of Things now has 21 locations in the capital, plus more than 39,000 members. This winter, it is helping residents improve energy efficiency by loaning out a thermal imaging camera for free from its community sharing hubs.

Usually costing £15 per day to rent, ‘Thelma’ the thermal camera will be free to borrow until 2 January 2026, thanks to support from local councils and partners. The camera helps identify draughty windows and doors, heat loss behind radiators and early signs of damp.

Hundreds of Londoners have already borrowed the device. “I borrowed Thelma to check where my old Victorian flat was losing heat,” says Katherine, a Hammersmith-based borrower. “Now I know that there’s one window that is letting all the cold air in. I’ve put thermal curtains up, and trusty Thelma shows that the curtains have made a big difference. Looking forward to a more cosy winter ahead.”

3. Just Helping – Christmas tree-cycling

For households wondering what to do with their real Christmas tree once the festivities end, UK charity Just Helping offers a simple solution. Its annual Big Christmas Treecycle Appeal collects trees from homes across the country and puts them to good use.

Following last Christmas, 3,070 volunteers collected 73,000 trees for free, with local businesses often donating vans, fuel and staff time. In return, households are invited to make a donation to support charities and community groups in their area. Last year, the appeal raised £1.54m for more than 150 causes, including hospices, women’s refuges, food banks and children’s charities.

“Our society is in need of a sense of community, a world where people care about each other, not just their own personal achievements,” says founder Nick Stammers. “Just Helping’s key aim is to re-engage communities into contributing and supporting their local and wider community.”

The trees are chipped rather than sent to landfill, with the wood reused in parks, gardens and nature spaces to improve soil health and biodiversity. Households can now book their 2026 collection, and volunteers are encouraged to get involved.

4. KidsOut – Gifting for children in need

Based in Birmingham, children’s charity KidsOut supports children living in refuge after fleeing domestic abuse. Its Giving Tree campaign offers organisations and individuals the chance to buy a specific gift requested by a child, using tags that give their name and what they would like to receive.

Gifts can be delivered to collection points across Birmingham or purchased online via a QR code, where they are stored safely until Christmas. This year, the charity says it has seen a surge in requests for support from Birmingham and north-east England, alongside the women’s refuges it already works with.

“Most of the parents and children who arrive in a refuge after fleeing abuse have no possessions with them,” says CEO Sara Williams. “They turn up on the doorstep traumatised with only the clothes they are wearing, having left everything that was familiar behind them, including family, friends, pets, school, employment, and belongings.”

KidsOut ensures that every child arriving in refuge receives a box of brand-new toys and Christmas presents, distributed with the support of Sussex Police Federation. Last year, more than 75,000 presents were gifted nationwide.

“For many, it will be the first time the children will have owned new toys,” said Williams.

Gifts can be purchased from the charity’s website from as little as £7.

5. Repair cafes – fixing it, not binning it

Repair cafes are now operating worldwide, helping people to fix broken items rather than throw them away. From faulty fairy lights to damaged toys and electronics, these volunteer-run sessions extend the life of everyday objects. Data from repair cafes suggests that in 60% of cases, chord for Christmas fairy lights can be fixed.

Twickenham Repair Cafe in south London has been running for four years and has helped nearly 3,000 people. Volunteers repair a wide range of items including “lawnmowers, iPads, shears that needed sharpening, dresses that needing sewing, as well as clocks, Christmas tree lights, DVD players, lamps, chairs with wonky legs, and tons of other stuff,” explains Colin Messenger, who works there.

The cafe estimates that it has saved around 40 tonnes of items from landfill and currently works with around 50 volunteers.

The next repair cafe will take place on 20 December. “We encourage people to dress up and join us eating home-made cake, and drinking fresh coffee as we do some hearty repairs,” adds Messenger. 

6. National Energy Action – providing warmth packs

The charity National Energy Action focuses on tackling fuel poverty and helping people stay warm at home. Each winter, it distributes free ‘winter warmth support packs’ to households most in need.

The packs include practical items such as a hooded blanket, radiator reflectors, energy efficient light bulbs, draught proofing strips and a thermos-style flask, alongside sachets of soup or hot chocolate. Recipients also receive personalised advice from specialist teams.

National Energy Action says that it is bringing the gift of warmth and hope directly into people’s homes – not just at Christmas but when householders need it the most. The packs are assembled by hundreds of volunteers during annual packing days and cost between £50 and £80 to put together.

7. Social Bite – Supporting those with experience of homelessness

The homelessness charity Social Bite is running its Festival of Kindness for the sixth year, aiming to bring joy and practical support to people experiencing homelessness. What began in Edinburgh has now expanded to five cities, with ‘trees of kindness’ installed in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Birmingham and London.

Each tree displays a wishlist created by people with lived experience of homelessness. Supporters can hand-deliver items such as warm clothing, toiletries, toys, hot water bottles, torches and phone top-ups.

Those taking part online can donate £28, which the charity says “could provide someone with a hot Christmas meal, a gift, a bundle of essential items and a bed for the night”.

8. Climate Action Stokesley and Villages – teaching eco-crafting

On the fringes of the North York Moors, Climate Action Stokesley and Villages (CASAV) describes itself as “a gathering of eco conscious minds from a few villages”. The group works year-round to promote sustainability, including during the festive season.

CASAV recently hosted a sustainable Christmas stall at Stokesley Market, giving away draught excluders made from waste fabric and sharing advice on reducing waste, making natural decorations and shopping locally.

The group also runs eco-crafting sessions for all ages, with one workshop turning unwanted library books into “stunning angels and Christmas trees”.

CASAV volunteers also knit blankets from scrap wool for the ‘blankets for the world’ initiative, and they collect surplus food from local supermarkets every night for redistribution. “Preventing food going to waste and ensuring those in need get to eat that night is a win-win,” says a spokesperson.

The group is looking for more volunteers to help expand its activities.

Main image: Social Bite