The Big Give #ChristmasChallenge

Your Donation Will Be DOUBLED This December !

We’re very excited to let you know that we have been selected to participate in this year’s Big Give #ChristmasChallenge.

That means that every donation made to our campaign via BigGive.org during the week of 2 – 9 December, will be doubled.

All donations to Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity will be matched £1 for £1 through the #ChristmasChallenge, helped by our group of incredible pledgers and our champion match funder, AKO Foundation.

Your donation of £10 turns into £20, your £50 into £100 – and so on!

So whatever you can give, no matter the size, every donation will make double the difference helping us to deliver specialist support for people with dyslexia.

What can you do now?

✅ Starting today at midday and running until 9 December, make a donation to the Big Give’s #ChristmasChallenge here. The donate button will appear on the Big Give Helen Arkell page when the campaign starts at 12pm (midday) today.

Share the campaign with friends, family, or on social media – anyone who may want their donation doubled!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at fundraising@helenarkell.org.uk

Thank you so much for your support – together, we can make twice the impact in 2026!

Watch the Big Give Video here! Backhand index pointing down

Q & A’s

1) Online donations to participating Charities received during the live campaign will be matched initially by pledge funds. Once a Charity has used all of its pledge funds, donations will be matched by Champion funds until Champion funds are exhausted or until the campaign ends, whichever is sooner.

2) Once our Charity pledge funds and Champion funds have been exhausted, our donation page on the Big Give website will clearly state that any subsequent donations will not be matched. Donors will still be encouraged to make an unmatched donation.

3) All donations made during the campaign must be made online via Big Give’s website without exception. Donations must be made via a Charity’s donation page on Big Give’s website, for the project which has been accepted into the campaign.

4) The minimum single donation that can be made during the campaign is £1. The maximum donation made during the campaign using a credit or debit card is £25,000. The largest donation made using our donation funds feature is £500,000.

5) A donation is eligible to be matched if it is made through the Charities campaign when the campaign is live and if there is sufficient funding available in the match fund for the selected Charity.

6) Once matching funds are reserved, donors will have 25 minutes to complete their donation. If the donation is not completed within 25 minutes, the Donor will be notified, and the match funding will be released back into the match fund for said Charity.

A message from Mia

Mia tells us why this campaign will help more children like her.

By |2025-12-03T17:01:09+00:00November 28th, 2025|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news, Uncategorized|Comments Off on The Big Give #ChristmasChallenge

Making Spirits Bright: Santa’s Grotto Launch Brings Joy and Support for Helen Arkell Students

Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity and children from surrounding local schools welcomed Santa and his team of elves to Squires Garden Centre, Badshot Lea, to help cut the ribbon and launch the opening of Santa’s Grotto for 2025!

Children who have benefited from the services of Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity joined from Potters Gate School in Farnham and William Cobbett School Farnham and were the first to meet Father Christmas and his helpers! Each child visited Santa and everyone came away with a special gift.

Squires Garden Centre, Badshot Lea, have chosen Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity as their Charity of the Year this year, and we are thrilled to have their support. As part of this, £1 from every ticket sold for Santa’s Grotto will be donated to Helen Arkell in the New Year. These funds will help us provide life-changing support to more people with dyslexia.

Santa’s Grotto is open until 4pm on Christmas Eve, so there’s lots of time to book your place and visit before Christmas!

To make a booking, please visit their website here. 

 

By |2025-11-25T15:20:34+00:00November 25th, 2025|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Making Spirits Bright: Santa’s Grotto Launch Brings Joy and Support for Helen Arkell Students

Christmas Silent Auction

The festive season is here, and with it comes the opportunity to give back while treating yourself to something truly special. We are delighted to share with you our Christmas Silent Auction. This is a chance to bid for unique treasures, indulge in exclusive experiences, all to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and adults with dyslexia.

What’s on Offer?

We are thrilled to present a collection of exceptional items including:

  • Rare Bottles of Vintage Port and Whisky
  • Limited Edition Pints
  • Jewellery
  • Unforgettable Experiences
  • And much more!

How your bid can make a difference

The funds raised through the auction will help support Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity to empower individuals with dyslexia through life-changing assessments, resources, and support.  A donation of £100 could help fund a transformative assessment for a child, equipping them with the tools and confidence to thrive.

Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of many this holiday season.

The Christmas Silent Auction is now live online! Don’t miss your chance to explore and bid on these incredible items:

👉 Place Your Bid Here

Huge thanks to Nigel Macdonald for generously donating the rare vintage and whiskey.

And thank you for your generosity, and from all of us at Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity

By |2025-01-06T10:20:44+00:00November 26th, 2024|Fundraising news|Comments Off on Christmas Silent Auction

Shop and donate during Black Friday and Christmas

We are coming to the time of year when we put our hands in our pockets to make life that little bit lovelier for the people we care about. And who can resist a bargain? If you are shopping for Black Friday, could you send a bit of love our way and sign up to the various schemes that mean we get donations while you shop – at no cost to yourself? These include:

Want to help us raise even more for FREE? Well, now you can just by shopping via Give as you Live Online!

When you shop at over 6,000 top stores including John Lewis & Partners, Expedia and Marks & Spencer via Give as you Live Online, they’ll turn a percentage of your spend into free funds for us!

Simply sign up, search for the retailer and start shopping. It’s that simple!

Get started today! Sign up via Give as you Live

Easyfundraising logo

Whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity with easyfundraising.

There are over 7,000 brands on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.

All you need to do is:

1. Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/hadc/ and join for free.

2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.

3. After you’ve checked out, the brand will make a donation to Helen Arkell at no extra cost to you whatsoever!

There are no catches or hidden charges and we will be really grateful for your donations.

eBay for charity

Support Helen Arkell every time you sell on eBay. Simply pick us as your charity and the donation percentage (10-100%). eBay waives the same percent in fees. When the item sells, the donation is automatically sent to Helen Arkell and you get a donation receipt.

When you pay through eBay Checkout for an item, you also have the option to add a small donation to Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. You can ask PayPal Giving Fund to claim Gift Aid on your donation, boosting its value at no cost to you.

For more information about how it works, click here.

Thank you for your support and happy shopping!

By |2024-07-23T16:41:03+01:00November 20th, 2023|Fundraising news|Comments Off on Shop and donate during Black Friday and Christmas

Our Summer Appeal – meet Rosie

Rosie is seven and she is a child who was struggling to keep up with her classmates at school in reading and spelling. When she started to get anxious, Rosie’s mum Anna turned to us for help. After an assessment with Sandra who diagnosed dyslexia, Rosie started tuition to help her use her strengths to overcome the difficulties dyslexia entails. With this in place, and help from school, Rosie is loving learning again.

Rosie says, ‘When I realised that some things were more tricky for me and that I was dyslexic, Sandra’s way of teaching really helped me. I can use what she helps me with for my learning at school and at home.’

For Rosie’s family, none of this would be possible without bursary funding and we rely on donations to provide support for those in need of our help. Donating to Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity helps us provide life-changing services to those who find themselves in need of our help, including:

  • dyslexia consultations
  • assessments
  • tuition.

For example, £10 could help a parent or carer gain the knowledge and confidence they need to support their dyslexic child through school, via our popular parents’ HELP course;
£15 could help provide specialist training to teachers and teaching assistants to support a range of learners in state schools and colleges;
£20 could help fund a life-changing assessment for a child at Helen Arkell and equip them, like Rosie, with the knowledge they need to look forward with confidence.

If you are in a position to donate – regularly or as a one-off – we are grateful. You can do so here.

Thank you.

By |2024-07-23T16:44:26+01:00July 7th, 2023|Fundraising news|Comments Off on Our Summer Appeal – meet Rosie
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