This Everyday Luxuries Calendar Helps Families in Need This Christmas

The Hackney Baby & Children’s Bank has launched a hard-hitting Christmas campaign, led by Creative agency Atomic London, highlighting the intolerable realities of the cost of living crisis that millions of families will experience this Christmas. 

​​Nearly seven in 10 people (67 per cent) are worried about being able to afford Christmas dinner and one in seven (14%) cannot afford to give their children a Christmas present (source: Salvation Army).

With this in mind, the charity has created a campaign centred around a theoretical advent calendar packed full of the must-haves people at the sharp-end of the cost of living crisis will need to make it through the winter. 

In keeping with the world of luxury calendars, it was beautifully-shot by Jacob McFadden, but the glossy exterior is juxtaposed with the everyday nature of the products inside.

The campaign leads you to a bespoke website where you can see all the items (which are not for sale) and donate to the charity. 

Already shared by top influencers like Pixie Geldof, Lou Teasdale and Lottie Tomlinson, the campaign has reached over 10 million people in its first couple of days, and is bringing much-needed awareness and donations to the charity. 

The Hackney Children & Baby Bank plays a vital role for ​families, helping refugee families, trafficked women, survivors of domestic abuse and parents affected by the cost of living crisis, with clothes, shoes, toys, books, food, baby equipment and emotional support. 

Beautine Wester, Hackney Children’s & Baby Bank said, “Hackney children's bank has seen an unprecedented rise in demands for everyday basic necessities. Many families this winter are struggling to hold it all together and at their wits end facing a very bleak Christmas; we hope this campaign goes some way to highlighting the extent to which families are struggling right now while also directly helping those in need. “ 

The founder of the Organisation, Beautine Wester, is available for TV and Press interviews; in particular to comment on the increasing need for BabyBanks, The Cost of Living Crisis, Refugees, Victims of DV & trafficking.

Matt Crump and Gavin McReady, Creative Directors at Atomic London said, “For a lot of people this year, Christmas is not about luxury gifts. 2022’s must-haves aren’t the latest trainers or designer moisturisers. Instead, it's about keeping warm and putting food on the table. 

Against the backdrop of this we’ve seen shops full of luxury calendars costing upwards of £100, and articles describing them as the absolute must-haves. We couldn’t help but question what a luxury advent calendar should actually contain in the middle of the cost of living crisis, and hope this campaign will help encourage donations to The Hackney Baby & Children’s Bank. “