The Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal 2024: Who we are supporting and how you can donate

For many of us, Christmas is the time to gather our loved ones close for a well-deserved break. This has been quite the year as, despite the UK economy showing signs of recovery, we are still battling the long-term effects of the cost of living crisis.

When times are tough, donations to good causes are one of the first things to go. So it’s been an extremely challenging year for those who rely on the kindness of others. That’s why we are asking you, our generous Telegraph readers, to join us in supporting four highly deserving charities for our Christmas Charity Appeal 2024.

Last year, you helped Marie Curie to continue their incredible support – whether at home, in their hospices or over the phone – for those nearing the end of life. Your donations enabled the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund to provide practical, emotional and financial support to even more serving RAF personnel and veterans.

Your generosity helped Race Against Dementia to fund yet more groundbreaking dementia research, and small charity Go Beyond to take vulnerable children, who desperately need a break from their challenging home situations, on holidays they will remember forever.

This year we are proud to support Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity. Although it’s the number one cause of death in the UK, dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing. It is caused by diseases, with Alzheimer’s being the most common – and the charity’s mission is to progress towards a cure for dementia, by revolutionising the way it is treated, diagnosed and prevented.

“This support could not have come at a more urgent time,” says Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK. “Because if nothing changes, one in two of us will be directly affected by dementia – either by developing the condition ourselves, caring for someone with it, or both.”

Research is finally delivering licensed treatments that can slow down the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, rather than just alleviating its symptoms. However these drugs are currently out of reach for people on the NHS. In funding research, influencing the Government and providing information for people affected by dementia, this remarkable charity is committed to saving people from the heartbreak dementia causes.

Young people are also at the heart of the Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal 2024. Today and every day, seven young people aged 13 to 24 in the UK will hear the words “you have cancer”.

Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to providing the nursing care and support to help them get through it. In funding specialist nurses, youth support teams and hospital units within the NHS, the charity strives to provide the very best care during treatment and beyond.

All of this helps to ensure that cancer doesn’t stop young people living their lives. However, chief executive Kate Collins warns that the charity is facing some of its toughest-ever challenges.

“Cancer in young people is on the increase at a time when the NHS is under huge pressure, the costs of funding our services have spiralled, and it’s become harder than ever to raise the money we need to keep our vital services running,” she explains.

“Young people need our support more than ever. In addition to the pandemic affecting their education, social, and emotional growth, they now need to navigate the cost of living crisis. It’s a perfect storm of increased and urgent need – and challenges in raising income.

“We are facing perhaps one of the toughest periods in Teenage Cancer Trust’s history and being chosen for the Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal could not have come at a better time.”

It’s a message echoed by the Army’s national charity, the Army Benevolent Fund. For 80 years – a birthday coinciding with D-Day – the charity has supported the Army family through all of life’s challenges, including bereavement, injury, getting back to work, elderly care and much more. Help is delivered through individual grants to serving soldiers, veterans and family members in need, and through providing essential funding for other charities and organisations to deliver specialist services to the Army community. The past two years have seen a continued rise in requests for support, both from individuals and the charities and organisations they fund.

“Our support is available for soldiers at the start of their careers and continues for life – long after service is over,” says Major General (Ret’d) Tim Hyams, chief executive of the Army Benevolent Fund. “There is little doubt that the current economic situation will be exacerbating some of the reasons people need our support, such as social isolation, housing, mental wellbeing, alcohol and drug-related problems, family relationship breakdown and employment-related issues. We are here for soldiers, former soldiers and their families in need now, just as we were 80 years ago – and as we will be for as long as there is a British Army.”

This year, we have also chosen to remember our late colleague David Knowles, who presented the award-winning Ukraine: The Latest podcast, by partnering with a charity helping those living in the country’s war-torn regions.

As Ukraine approaches its third winter of war, Humanity & Inclusion is working tirelessly to provide emergency care and support to the most vulnerable people, ensuring they are not forgotten. It is estimated that 14.6 million people in Ukraine are now in need of humanitarian assistance – that’s over 40 per cent of the population.

Having been displaced from their homes, many are seeking shelter in crowded public buildings such as schools and metro stations. Before the conflict escalated in February 2022, there were almost three million people with disabilities in Ukraine and a quarter of the population was over 60. More than 80 per cent of single pensioners, the majority of whom are women, live below the poverty line. The war has hit these groups particularly hard.

“It’s hard to describe just how tough life is right now for people in Ukraine who have lost everything, especially older people and those with disabilities, injuries or chronic illnesses,” says George Graham, chief executive of Humanity & Inclusion UK. “As another harsh winter sets in, and with the war showing no signs of ending soon, now is the very worst time for the world’s attention to be drifting away. We must do everything we can to protect the victims of this brutal conflict.”

As Christmas approaches, we ask you to help those who need us. Every donation, no matter how small, will help our chosen charities to continue their incredible work – and change lives for the better. Meet our chosen charities...  

The Army Benevolent Fund

In the past year alone, the Army Benevolent Fund has supported over 75,000 members of the Army family in 51 countries. Unlike many military charities, they do not receive direct funding from the Government or the Army and rely solely on fundraising to help those in need.

“We provide a lifetime of support: last year, our youngest beneficiary was one day old and our eldest was 104,” says chief executive Major General (Ret’d) Tim Hyams.

Steve was 19 years old when he was badly wounded in a bomb explosion in Belfast while serving with The Royal Anglian Regiment. The incident required Steve to be fitted with two prosthetic limbs. The Army Benevolent Fund helped to fund a new ramp at his bungalow.

“Before the adaptation, I was like Eddie the Eagle getting out of the house,” he explains. “This work has made a massive difference. I have my independence back and it has given me a boost. I see gardening as the way forward, enjoying life in the fresh air, and would like to get a greenhouse.”

Although Steve suffered life-changing injuries at such a young age, he does not see himself as disabled. He has excelled in archery, wheelchair basketball, rock climbing and abseiling, and sailed across the Atlantic to Barbados with an all-amputee crew. “Life is still tough; there are days when my PTSD kicks in and I don’t feel great,” he says. “However, there are many worse off than me. Many lads never make it home, we should never forget that. I am lucky to be alive and I have a lot of good things in my life.”

There are many people like Steve whose lives can be impacted positively with support from the Army Benevolent Fund. “We are delighted to be included in the Telegraph Christmas Appeal,” says Hyams. “The money and awareness raised will enable us to provide essential support for soldiers, former soldiers and their families, affording them the opportunity to avoid hardship and live with independence and dignity.”

Teenage Cancer Trust

Cancer kills more teenagers and young adults in the UK than any other disease – and it is on the rise. “Adolescence has never been a straightforward time but, right now, it’s tougher than ever to be young,” says chief executive Kate Collins. “Add cancer to that and the support that Teenage Cancer Trust provides has never been more needed.”

There are 28 Teenage Cancer Trust wards (known as “units”) in NHS hospitals across the UK. These do not feel like hospitals. They are spaces where young people facing cancer can feel at home, meet others their age, welcome family and friends, and get the very best care from a specialist team.

Ben Peters from Swansea was 21 when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). “After the shock of finding out I had cancer, I found myself in a shared room at a hospital with somebody much older who was having end-of-life care. It was really traumatising,” he says. Then Beth, one of Teenage Cancer Trust’s 71 specially trained nurses, came to see him.

“She turned up with a big box of chocolates and we chatted for hours. At one point she sat with me while I just cried.” Ben transferred to the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at Cardiff and couldn’t believe how different it was. “It changed my outlook on things. I felt less morbid and I made friends with other young people who understood how I was feeling.”

As Kate Collins puts it: “Donations will not only help our expert teams continue to provide the care and support young people need to cope with cancer; through the appeal, we also hope to raise much-needed awareness of the huge challenges that young people with cancer are currently facing.”

Ben is now 26 and his treatment continues. He says: “I couldn’t have got through any of it without Teenage Cancer Trust. I’ll forever be a supporter because every young person should be able to get the support that I did.”

Humanity & Inclusion

Humanity & Inclusion (HI) is a global charity working alongside disabled and vulnerable people in 60 countries affected by poverty, conflict and disaster.

“Our teams in eastern Ukraine are working tirelessly to support the most vulnerable people affected by the war,” says George Graham, the charity’s chief executive.

“We are providing emergency rehabilitation care, mental health support, and vital assistance for communities living with the risk from explosive ordnance.” Many people are stranded in hard-to-reach areas with no access to healthcare or medication. “If not for the vital outreach provided by our mobile teams, many would simply be forgotten,” he adds.

After being diagnosed with cancer, 68-year-old Antonina was undergoing chemotherapy when violence broke out in her hometown of Vuhledar. Fleeing for her life, she had to leave everything behind and seek safety in a town far away from the frontlines. By the time Antonina reached the town of Novomoskovsk, she had suffered a stroke.

When Humanity & Inclusion’s mobile rehabilitation team first met Antonina, she had been discharged from hospital and was living in an old Soviet-era building which was not accessible for someone recovering from a stroke. She was clearly in pain and struggled to stand up or move around. “Everything hurts,” she told the HI team, “but I’m really worried about my hand. It feels cold and numb. It doesn’t feel like my hand, it feels like I’m wearing a glove.”

Since then, HI’s physiotherapist, Maria, has been making regular visits to see Antonina. Maria gives her massages to help relieve the pain and has rearranged her apartment to make it more accessible. As Antonina’s condition improved, Maria moved on to more strenuous exercises to build up her strength and balance. At Maria’s most recent visit, Antonina was on her feet and walking and smiling again.

With your generous support, Humanity & Inclusion can help more people like Antonina. “We are honoured to receive the support of the Telegraph Christmas Appeal and its wonderfully generous readers,” says George Graham. “The money and awareness raised is absolutely vital in helping our teams to reach the most vulnerable people affected by the brutal war in Ukraine and ensure that they are not forgotten this winter.”

Alzheimer’s Research UK

Alzheimer’s Research UK is determined to deliver a cure for dementia, ending the fear, harm and heartbreak that this condition inflicts on our loved ones. Alzheimer’s drugs lecanemab and donanemab have shown what research can achieve – and it’s now possible to slow down the course of Alzheimer’s disease. However, these drugs will not be a cure for dementia.

There is a pressing need for treatments that target the range of processes in the brain that go wrong, and that will offer hope to people with every form of dementia.

That’s why Alzheimer’s Research UK is accelerating the development of new dementia treatments through the Drug Discovery Alliance (DDA). Based at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and University College London, the DDA is ensuring that promising discoveries made in the lab are transformed into new treatments as swiftly as possible.

Prof Selina Wray is a neuroscientist who researches the diseases that cause dementia at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, as well as being an Alzheimer’s Research UK Ambassador. “Everyone has their own unique experience of living with dementia,” she says, “and the complexity of what’s happening in the brain differs on an individual level as well.” In using stem cell technology, Prof Wray and her team are extracting cells from skin samples taken from people who have rare genetic forms of dementia, and turning them into nerve cells that can be grown in the lab.

Prof Wray then compares these to cells from people without dementia. By doing this, her team can understand what is happening at the cellular level. “Our work is giving vital clues on how to target the very first things to go wrong in the diseases that cause dementia,” Prof Wray continues. “It’s helping us shape the development of new treatments that will be suitable for everyone in the future.”

Changes can happen in the brain decades before the symptoms of dementia start to show. If scientists can find ways to spot these earlier changes, treatments could be given to stop dementia even before symptoms appear.

“Alzheimer’s Research UK is delighted to be included in The Telegraph Christmas Appeal,” says chief executive Hilary Evans-Newton. “We can’t wait to share news about the exciting progress we’re making in dementia research and share the stories of the people who are standing with us for a cure.”

To make a donation, please visit The Telegraph Charity Appeal 2024 or call 0151 284 1927