November 2025 – Festive fair at The Farm Animal Sanctuary and Shoe Box pick up for Link to Hope.

November is a busy month for me – I need to finish packing my shoeboxes for Link to Hope, and process and store the completed Shoeboxes delivered to me.  I also need to make items to sell at The Farm Animal Sanctuary Festive Fair and check I have everything I need to display the items.

Link to Hope

So, by now all your Shoeboxes should be packed and with your area receiver.  The Link to Hope calendar suggests adding a photo of yourself and a donation.  You can pay your £3.00 towards delivery costs online – you no longer need to add coins to your gift aid form. 

I’ve still got a week or so until the shoeboxes are collected from me, so I’m trying to make up a couple of extra shoeboxes, as the number I’ve received as an area collector is down this year. 

I haven’t added a photo to my shoeboxes, but I do put in a Christmas card, saying that I hope they enjoy the gifts.  When I pack my shoeboxes, I try and add items for all the family members, not just the children, or one gender or age of child, but gifts for the parents and several children.  That’s one of the things I like about Link to Hope; the family boxes are just that – for the whole family.  In the elderly boxes I try and add items that are either unisex, or if I add something a lady might like, I add something a man might like.

I will add some pictures and details of some of the shoeboxes I’ve filled this year later.

I haven’t found any bargains, but I bought some men’s suit socks from Asda which were £4.00 for 7 pairs which I could add to family or elderly shoeboxes. 

The Farm Animal Sanctuary

The Sanctuary are still trying to raise the remaining funds to purchase the land the sanctuary is based on.  They only have a few weeks left to raise the remaining funds.  They need to raise £900,000 in total, plus some additional money to pay for the legal fees. 

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/securingoursanctuary

I’m trying to make some additional items to sell at the Festive Fair on 22 November to help raise some funds for them.  I’m hoping the event will be well attended and visitors are looking for decorations and small stocking fillers, so I sell a lot 😊.

You can buy tickets for the Festive Fair, online via their website or buy them on the door.  The event is held in the barns and opens at 3:00pm and finishes at 6:00pm. 

https://thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk/events

Bargain Buys

The only bargain buys I’ve come across are that Dunelm still have scented candles in glass votives for 50p – Apple and Cinnamon, or Pumpkin spice, and 3 tea towels for £1.00.   

I hope all your shoeboxes are packed, and it would be lovely to have lots of people support The Farm Animal Sanctuary either by donating to their fund-raising appeal or by attending the Festive Fair. 

Till next month.