Pledge to support our Big Give Christmas Appeal.
Help us build our ‘match pot’, so that every donation made between 1st-8th December can be doubled.
As a committed Upbeat supporter, we would love you to consider joining our team of Pledgers to enable us to continue supporting refugees into 2027.
Please read below for more information about the Big Give.
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest online match-funding campaign. It takes place every year across one week in late November-early December.
We’ve taken part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge several times before. Last year, our supporters raised an incredible £25,455 to fund the support that takes place at our Integration Hub - a venue in the centre of Derby that provides a safe space from which our projects can be run and refugees can be given a warm welcome.
We do this through English classes that aid integration and cultural understanding; community meals that meet a practical need and enable friendships to grow; and support groups for women that provide specialist trauma-informed support and creative therapy activities. We also meet new arrivals as soon as possible after they arrive, ensuring they are connected to the services and support networks they need.
This year, we need to raise £28,000 to fund our work supporting refugees when they first arrive in Derby. Refugees in this position are rebuilding their lives after having lost everything. They often have no support network, are culturally disoriented, and are traumatised after everything they have experienced.
Upbeat welcomes refugees into a new family, providing both emotional and practical support. So far this year, we’ve been able to welcome 554 people in this position. Many of them have benefitted from our projects within their first 6 months of living in the UK—when government services are hardest to access; mental health is at its most fragile; and social isolation is most felt.
Recently, the fundraising climate has become even more challenging. Meanwhile, our running costs continue to increase, and so do the numbers of people needing our support. That’s why we need your help to raise £28,000 so we can continue our vital provision.
Here’s the breakdown of how we’ll raise that amount:
£5,000 from Big Give philanthropist + £9,000 in pledges from Upbeat supporters = £14,000 match pot secured between June-August
£14,000 raised in online donations from 1st-8th December 2026
Some T&Cs about pledges:
Pledges must be £100 or more
Payment cannot be made until after the campaign has finished
To protect the integrity of the campaign, those who’ve made a pledge cannot donate to the campaign itself, as they would essentially be doubling their own donation
The deadline for pledges to be made is 28th August 2026.
Ready to make your pledge? Fill in the relevant form below.
Thank you so much for considering this important opportunity to provide a safe space for refugees to thrive as they rebuild their lives.
We’ll be in touch nearer the time of the campaign to update you on its progress.