“Through love, serve one another.” Galatians 5:13
The Catholic Children’s Society Plymouth (CCSP) is holding its Annual Appeal over the Bank Holiday weekend of Saturday, 29th and Sunday, 30th August 2026. The theme of this year’s Annual Appeal is ‘Grateful Hearts – Serving Others’ and the charity is once again asking for your support. So many families continue to struggle to provide the basic essentials for their children. To find out how to support this year’s appeal please visit https://www.ccsplymouth.org.uk/support-us/
CCSP helps vulnerable families in the Diocese of Plymouth through their Essential Grants Programme. They purchase vital items such as children’s beds and mattresses, school uniform and shoes as well as white goods including cookers, fridge/freezers and washing machines. They receive many requests for financial support and it’s hard to imagine that there are children who do not have a proper bed to sleep in, or suitable shoes to wear to school.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson: “These are challenging times for many families experiencing financial hardship. Such families are often in temporary accommodation after fleeing abuse or the breakdown of relations or the loss of their jobs due to illness and circumstances beyond their control. The Essential Grants Programme exists to provide essential items to help relieve families’ needs. CCSP warmly encourage applications from such families for school uniforms, shoes, beds, mattresses and bedding, clothes for children and newborn babies, cots, bottles, chests of drawers, wardrobes, alongside white goods such as cookers and fridges. They require all such applications to be accompanied by a referee. The process from application to supply is usually within two to three weeks.”
“CCSP also need trustees. If anyone is interested in offering their time, please contact the office on 01364 645420 and ask to speak to the Chair, Shelagh Fearnley. They would love to hear from you.”
Feedback from the families is that the grants make a massive difference:
“I thank you very much for your email and for the wonderful news. I am truly grateful to the panel of trustees for approving my application and for the support being provided. Thank you again for all your help and support rendered to me and my children. It means so much.”
“Good morning, thank you so much for letting me know such wonderful news. I really appreciate your support ! We needed mattresses so much and now we will be able to sleep well. God bless you ! Many thanks for mattresses and for my son’s school uniform and shoes. Have a lovely day!”
“That’s great, thank you very much. I do appreciate the immense support. Thank you very much, you have done more than enough for us – my kids and I are grateful.”
“Thank you. I cannot tell you how appreciative mum was for this. You really are making changes to people’s lives. Kind regards.”
“Thank you so much to you all and for turning this around so quickly for the family, please do pass on my thanks. Mum will be REALLY chuffed and relieved.”
“Just to say a big thank you for this grant, it will make such a difference to mum. Thank you so much for everything. You are an absolute life saver. Thank you more than anything for helping.”
Alongside the Essential Grants programme, CCSP offer high quality Bereavement and Loss training for staff in schools and other communities via our trained Rainbows GB director. We also work with schools to promote our Good Shepherd programme where we ask school children to think of others less fortunate than themselves by raising funds to support our Essential Grant programme.