Letterbox Club
Your donations have helped us to support children who are in care or vulnerable.
Through our Letterbox Club programme, almost 11,500 children in care or in other vulnerable groups received parcels of books, stationery and more at home throughout the year.
For many children, it's the first time they have had a letter or a parcel through the post.
We asked the children what they thought of Letterbox Club, and they told us how the arrival of a new parcel creates joy and excitement and makes them feel special.
Donate now to help us keep supporting children who are in care or vulnerable
BookTrust's Christmas appeal
Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year for children in care and low-income families. During this time, we send out additional book parcels to children in care as well as to community foodbanks for families facing challenging circumstances.
In 2022, our Christmas appeal reached 16,000 children. It is only because of supporters like you that we can light up Christmas for vulnerable children.
Take a look below at postcards from just some of the children who wrote to tell us about receiving their festive parcel (we have removed their names to protect their anonymity):
Thank you for donating
A postcard from a child reading: 'Thank you for the book I love it', plus a drawing of a child with their hands in the air surrounded by the words 'yippee let's play hooray'
A postcard from a child reading: 'I enjoyed the parcel and like the book and hope more parcels will come'
A postcard from a child featuring a drawing of someone holding up a present and saying: 'Thank you so much I feel very happy'
A postcard from a child reading: 'Thank you for the book. I loved it and finding the whys out about my questions.' Plus an illustration of a person and a dog (marked 'my dog')
A postcard from a child reading: 'I felt happy about receiving my parcel. I loved it very much'
A postcard from a child with a drawing of a girl's face and the words: 'I really really really really really really really really really really really enjoyed it'
A postcard from a child reading: 'I love your books they are amazing. Can you sending me more please. I love receiving them xxx'. Plus a drawing of an open book
A postcard from a child reading: 'I like my post. I don't get much post. I like reading a lot.'
A postcard from a child reading: 'I love the things that you do for people your amazing'
A postcard from a child: A big heart with the words 'Thank you + Merry Christmas' inside, and outside the heart the words: 'This book was amazing thank you xxx'
Become a BookTrust Friend today to help us keep supporting children throughout the year
'You could see when the children opened the books, they were thinking: "This is something really good." You could tell by their body language that it was something they weren't used to getting.
I would imagine for a lot of those children, it was probably the only book that they got for Christmas'
- Julie Brown, Our House community centre in Liverpool
Read more real stories about how the festive packs make a difference:
South Wales
'We can spread a little bit of happiness and make them not have to make a decision between buying their child a Christmas present and having to buy food for the home.'
Liverpool
'People were overwhelmed when we gave them the books – particularly the parents who may not necessarily be in a position to afford presents. Lots of people don’t have extra cash to splash on a brand-new book, no matter how much they might want to'
Hull & East Yorkshire
'With BookTrust’s Letterbox Festive packs, we’re able to give the children a festive parcel. They might not have had Christmas presents before or they might not have had positive experiences of Christmas.'
Manchester
'It is really powerful for the children to know that people care about them, and thought about them, and gave them a gift. And the fact it is a book is just brilliant.'