The Guardian's 2025 charity appeal has been focusing on hope, aiming to raise £1m for five partner charities that promote community pride, tolerance, and unity as a positive antidote to polarisation, racism, and hatred. So far, donations have surpassed £900,000, with the appeal closing soon.
One of the charities at the heart of the appeal is The Linking Network, which pairs schools from different faiths, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds to encourage pupils to meet, share stories, and learn together. This initiative has grown in strength over the past decade, even during times of conflict, and its determination to challenge prejudice and stereotypes remains strong.
Another charity involved in the appeal is Citizens UK, a network of community organisations that campaign for positive change through listening, common ground, and working towards shared goals. The charity's executive director, Pete Brierley, notes that the Guardian appeal has shown the importance of civil society engaging with communities to model the kind of politics we want to see.
The Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust will use its share of donations to support grassroots organisations like Salaam Shalom Kitchen in Nottingham, which brings people together over shared meals and challenges prejudice. The trust's project participant, Maureen Hamblin, describes how the charity has restored her hope by humanising us all.
Locality is a network that supports community organisations, including 174 Trust in Belfast, which connects strangers from different backgrounds to undo preconceptions and find common ground. Since the appeal started, Locality has been approached by people wanting to volunteer or set up similar schemes elsewhere, a testament to the ripple effect of these charities' work.
The final charity mentioned is Who Is Your Neighbour?, a charity that facilitates "difficult conversation" sessions around race and immigration through dialogues with local communities. The charity's methods have gained huge interest since the appeal started, and its share of donations will help develop its vital work.
These five charities embody the Guardian's 2025 charity appeal theme of hope – practical, inspiring grassroots projects that encourage community pride, tolerance, and unity as a positive antidote to polarisation, racism, and hatred.
One of the charities at the heart of the appeal is The Linking Network, which pairs schools from different faiths, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds to encourage pupils to meet, share stories, and learn together. This initiative has grown in strength over the past decade, even during times of conflict, and its determination to challenge prejudice and stereotypes remains strong.
Another charity involved in the appeal is Citizens UK, a network of community organisations that campaign for positive change through listening, common ground, and working towards shared goals. The charity's executive director, Pete Brierley, notes that the Guardian appeal has shown the importance of civil society engaging with communities to model the kind of politics we want to see.
The Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust will use its share of donations to support grassroots organisations like Salaam Shalom Kitchen in Nottingham, which brings people together over shared meals and challenges prejudice. The trust's project participant, Maureen Hamblin, describes how the charity has restored her hope by humanising us all.
Locality is a network that supports community organisations, including 174 Trust in Belfast, which connects strangers from different backgrounds to undo preconceptions and find common ground. Since the appeal started, Locality has been approached by people wanting to volunteer or set up similar schemes elsewhere, a testament to the ripple effect of these charities' work.
The final charity mentioned is Who Is Your Neighbour?, a charity that facilitates "difficult conversation" sessions around race and immigration through dialogues with local communities. The charity's methods have gained huge interest since the appeal started, and its share of donations will help develop its vital work.
These five charities embody the Guardian's 2025 charity appeal theme of hope – practical, inspiring grassroots projects that encourage community pride, tolerance, and unity as a positive antidote to polarisation, racism, and hatred.
anyway, its always inspiring to see people coming together like this - i mean, £900k is a lot of money but im guessing its not even close to the total amount they're aiming for. personally, i think its the small stuff that matters, you know, these tiny community projects that might not get a lot of media attention but can really make a difference in the long run. and it sounds like that's exactly what these charities are doing - giving people a reason to believe in each other again 
I'm so down for this charity appeal, £900k is just amazing 
! These charities are literally doing some cool stuff - like The Linking Network's initiative where kids from different backgrounds come together, it's like a match made in heaven 
. I love how Locality has been flooded with volunteers wanting to set up similar schemes, that's what community spirit is all about 
. And Who Is Your Neighbour? facilitating those 'difficult conversation' sessions is just the way forward 
. It's heartwarming to see grassroots projects making a real difference in people's lives - let's keep supporting these amazing charities and spread hope wherever we go 
#CharityAppeal #CommunityFirst #HopeInAction
I think it's so great to see all these amazing charities working together to promote unity and understanding in our communities 
. But projects like The Linking Network and Locality are a breath of fresh air, bringing people together despite their differences 
. These charities are doing vital work that can help create lasting change 
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. It's not always easy, but someone's gotta do it 
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. I mean, £900k is a decent chunk of change, but have they actually proven that these initiatives lead to lasting change or are just feel-good exercises? Sources would be nice... I've seen some testimonials from people involved, but how many were surveyed and what's the sample size? And what about the impact on communities outside of the UK? Can we trust that these charities aren't just projecting a utopian vision rather than tackling real problems?
. And what about the role of government in addressing these issues? Are they supporting or just paying lip service to these charities?
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. And who wouldn't want to have "difficult conversations" with their neighbours about race and immigration? 
. I'm loving that Locality is getting more interest for their volunteer schemes, it shows that people care about creating a more inclusive community 
. But what really gets me is Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust's work - Maureen Hamblin's story is literally giving me all the feels 
. Can't wait to see how much they'll raise in the end! 
compared to what's actually needed. I mean, these charities are doing great work, don't get me wrong, but £1m could fund so many more initiatives. And what's with pairing schools from different faiths and cultures? It's a good start, but it's just one small step. We need to be addressing the systemic issues here, you know? Community pride and unity are great goals, but how do we achieve that when there's still so much division and inequality out there?
. Just because Locality is getting approached by people wanting to set up similar schemes elsewhere doesn't mean it's a guarantee of success. We need to be thinking about scalability, sustainability, and impact. I'm not saying these charities aren't doing great work, but let's not get too carried away here 
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I'm loving this! These charities are giving me all the feels! They're like, really showing us that we can be better than our divides, you know? Like, The Linking Network's initiative is so cool - who wouldn't want to meet their future classmates from different backgrounds?! And Locality's got this amazing ripple effect thing going on, where people are inspired to start similar projects in their own communities 
. I love that Salaam Shalom Kitchen is doing that through shared meals