Posted: 12 December 2025
University Campus Doncaster (UCDon) is delighted to announce that Spirit of Christmas was selected as our charity of the year during this year’s graduation ceremonies. This is the first time a charity has directly benefited from ticket sales, and thanks to the generosity of our guests, along with a contribution from UCDon, £500 has been raised to support the charity’s incredible work.
Spirit of Christmas serves the Doncaster and Selby districts, bringing joy, support, and hope to children and families across the region. In 2024 alone, the charity reached over 2,300 children through its projects and events, including the Christmas Toy Bank, festive Christmas Parties, the Banana Box Toy Project, neurodiversity initiatives, and a range of other community activities.
The Christmas Toy Bank helps hundreds of low-income families each year and allows parents and guardians invited via local schools the opportunity to choose a present and a book for each of their children, reaching up to 800 children annually. Families then gift wrap the presents to take home, creating magical memories that last a lifetime.
The Banana Box Appeal, launched in March 2020, provides educational and play resources to disadvantaged children, supporting learning, social skills, and overall development. Each box includes stationery, a notebook, an age-appropriate book, a game, and a puzzle, with specialist SEN boxes also available. The project now works with organisations across the DN Colleges Group (DNCG) catchment areas of Selby and Goole to ensure it reaches children who need it most.
Through all its initiatives, Spirit of Christmas aims to promote education, family and community engagement, and equal opportunities for all. The charity also works to combat poverty by providing essential resources, fostering safe, family-oriented environments at events, encouraging conversation and relationship-building, and supporting sustainability through recycling initiatives.
Choosing Spirit of Christmas as our Charity of the Year reflects the values at the heart of UCDon: community, compassion, and creating meaningful impact. This year’s graduation ceremonies celebrated achievement, pride, and new beginnings, and it feels especially fitting that these milestone moments also helped spread kindness and hope.
Daniel Bown, Vice Principal of Higher Education at DNCG said: “Spirit of Christmas is a perfect fit for our DN Colleges Group community, and it’s inspiring to know that a proportion of every ticket sold at our UCDon ceremonies this year will help share joy with families across the region. Partnering with a charity that brings happiness to children and strengthens local communities means the spirit of graduation extends far beyond the ceremony itself, spreading hope, kindness, and support to those who need it most. We’re incredibly proud that our graduates’ milestone moments are helping to create brighter, happier futures not only for themselves, but for families across Doncaster and Selby.”
The £500 raised will go directly to Spirit of Christmas, funding their festive events, community projects, and essential initiatives that bring lasting joy to children and families across the coming year.
Spirit of Christmas founders Ronnie and Diane Munro added, “We want to say a huge thank you for choosing Spirit of Christmas. We are incredibly grateful for this donation, it’s a significant amount for our charity and will make a real difference, especially as the number of requests we receive grows each year and the range of ages we support continues to increase. Your generosity helps us reach even more children and families who need a little extra support, and we’re truly thankful for your kindness.”
UCDon extends heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed. Together, we’re helping share hope, joy, and the true spirit of Christmas throughout our community.