Purple Elephant are proud to announce they have officially become a Charity, registered with the Charity Commission. Until now, a non-profit CIC, supporting Frome and area families, the directors are delighted to announce their new full name will be Purple Elephant Family Support – reflecting what is at the very heart of all they do  – providing support for vulnerable children and their families.

With Christmas, for many children, meaning a cold house and certainly no endless tables of overflowing, hearty or hot food, the directors of this newly-confirmed charity are facing the media-made sparkling picture with a head-on reality check by launching their first Families-in-Need Christmas public donation Campaign.

Founded in 2015, Purple Elephant's tiny but dedicated team already run an ultra low-cost Toy Library, Stay-and-Play pre-school sessions, the Small Steps Parenting Support Service, an adult-to-child Befriending Service, projects to support the mental health of young people,  school Holiday Activities for children in challenging circumstances and, of course, the famous annual free summer Frome Children's Festival, open to everyone!

With families facing a very tough winter ahead, Purple Elephant Family Support needs your support, please, in donating to their Localgiving Families-in-Need Christmas campaign. 

Founder and Director Sue Willis explains: 'Becoming a charity is a major, wonderful milestone but we now know that the coming months will be really hard for the families that we support. Heating, cooking and food prices are rising just when children most need to be warm and fed. We will be offering sit-down hot meals at holiday activities as well as keeping our venues open longer, post-activity, for people to keep warm. We would also love to provide some things that may be considered non-essential but which give children joy – the things that make a 'life' not just an existence; Christmas presents at our festive parties, hot drinks at our support groups and free panto tickets to local theatre shows. Please help us to provide both the essentials and the joys that make a happy, well-fed and fun childhood'. 

Purple Elephant ensure they work in partnership with other local organisations to help share support as far as they can and they are asking local people as well as local businesses to please help by donating even a small amount.

£10 pays for a hot meal for two children in a cold winter; £20 allows families to stay longer, together in the warm, after a Purple Elephant event.  Alternatively, a regular donation of just £5 per month allows these lovely purple people to plan more services, into the future, with confidence.

Business sponsorship such as that generously given by Tall Trees Kindergarten, will keep the charity's services going. It's easy to donate - their website www.PurpleElephant.org.uk offers various ways to donate, including their Localgiving campaign button, by text or by contacting Sue Willis on [email protected] to discuss business sponsorship, larger donations or suggestions you may have to raise a warm Christmas cheer to Frome and area families-in-need this Christmas. 

Thank you, Frome, for making things just a bit warmer and a bit easier for so many this year.