Lord Mayor’s Christmas Appeal

LOOK – here’s a photo from December 1927 that we’ve used again and again. And will be using again, again!

Back in the 1920s and 30s the Lord Mayor of Bristol held an annual appeal to raise money to provide Christmas dinners (and sometimes boots and shoes as well) for the city’s poorest children.

The Tramways Company would join in by decorating one of its vehicles, dressing the driver as Santa and travelling around town to rattle the collecting bucket.

The original appeal has long since evolved into the annual Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Children’s

Appeal and in 2020 it needs your money even more urgently.

Many of this year’s fundraising efforts, such as the carol concert (though there will be a virtual one) have had to be put on hold.

At the same time, Covid and rising unemployment have seen even greater numbers of local children with little to look forward to come December 25.

This is not the children’s fault, and surely we can all agree that in this day and age Bristol can open its collective purse and see to it that none of our kids are left behind.

Particularly since the more fortunate among us are actually quite flush because of all the money we’ve not been able to spend on our usual pleasures this year.

Find out more, and make a donation at www. lordmayorofbristolappeal.com

Don’t worry if you forget to do it this week. BT and the Post have always been firm supporters of the appeal, and we will be hassling you relentlessly for weeks to come!