Why sack off Secret Santa this year? Watch our charity video
This year, instead of your typical greeting cards and Secret Santa gifts, we’re encouraging our colleagues, clients and friends to donate to and raise money for organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers.
We’re doing this by highlighting the cause in our annual charity video, and championing a local organisation this festive season.
Donate to Bristol Refugee Rights and help a family get settled this winter
Why support refugees, migrants and asylum seekers?
We support numerous charities and causes, but this year none felt as compelling and close to home as this.
At P+S, community represents one of our core values:
“We recognise our impact on and role as part of our local and wider community, addressing social issues when necessary and embracing diversity.”
This means being proactive on a local level and responding to the needs of the people around us, but also understanding how lucky we are to be settled, housed, safe and in work.
According to the Home Office, there were 75,658 asylum applications (relating to 97,107 people) in the UK last year – an 8% increase from the previous 12 months.
Bristol’s culture has long been shaped by immigration and we believe our local communities are far richer because of it – our home of Easton very much included. We want to spread a message that everyone is welcome and support those seeking a better life here.
That’s why our Christmas card video this year is centred on a family coming to the UK in search of hope and happiness.
In the year ending June 2024, the top five countries of origin of people seeking asylum were Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
So, we decided to shine a light on Shab-e Yalda – a traditional Winter Solstice celebration in both Afghanistan and Iran.
According to Afghanaid, the festival of Shab-e Yalda is a celebration of hope, resilience, and new beginnings. Families gather under the korsi (a low blanketed table), share pomegranate, watermelon, dried fruit and nuts and read poems from the Divan of Hafiz.
We hope that learning about this winter celebration allows people to draw parallels between their lives and those of families seeking refuge and asylum here –because really they’re just like us except their lives have often been disrupted by the unimaginable. Whether that’s war, famine, political persecution, or natural disasters.
With just one small switcheroo, you could make all the difference to a family in need of support. It could be sacking off Secret Santa, ditching Christmas cards, or enjoying one less pumpkin spiced latte.
Whatever it is, we hope you’ll join us in supporting this great cause.
About Bristol Refugee Rights – in their own words:
“We want a society where refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are welcomed. A society where everyone’s rights and entitlements are respected.
We run safe, welcoming drop-in sessions with education opportunities and childcare, alongside advice and casework. A holistic set of services addressing many of the issues faced by asylum seekers: social isolation, disempowerment, homelessness and insecure accommodation, poor mental and physical health.”
