More families than ever will find it hard to afford gifts for their children at Christmas time this year, with 1 in 6 parents and carers not being able to afford a present at all.
Kitmas is a charity, founded in 2020 by football podcaster Paul Watson and his wife Lizzie. The charity has so far raised over £85,000 and distributed over 6,000 football shirts to young people around the UK.
Kitmas is in its 6th year, with the goal to make an even bigger impact than ever before, and to help towards ensuring that no child goes without a present this Christmas.
The Kitmas team have seen an opportunity to turn pre-loved and unused football shirts and Ernulf Academy is proud to be part of the journey for a second year, as the main hub of collection and distribution.
Michael Cox, Vice Principal at Ernulf, has supported the Kitmas charity since the imitative started and we are really lucky to have him onboard, pushing the initiative. Michael says;
‘Last year was a brilliant success and our students were fantastic. So far, the campaign has raised over £85,000 and donated 6,000 shirts to young football fans, so I really hope the public can continue to get involved’.
Our Head Scholars at the academy have been busy spreading the word and getting involved in collecting, sorting, wrapping, and then distributing the shirts all across the country. We spoke with Tulah and Kris, Head Scholar sin Year 11, and asked her how being part of Kitmas felt.
‘Christmas is a time for giving and I couldn’t wait to get involved and support this brilliant initiative. I cannot imagine how it feels to not receive a present at Christmas and I’d like to play my part to ensure that some children will get that chance’ – Tulah
Whether you’re a football fan, a member of the Ernulf local community, parent, local company owner… or even live miles awa and are reading this…. Kitmas is a fun and easy way for everyone to get involved and make a difference at Kitmas.
We have really gone above and beyond to raise Kitmas awareness, with our fabulous Head Scholars and Prefects being involved in radio interviews, newspaper articles, and even being featured on the ITV 6 o’clock evening news!
No doubt Ernulf will be part of Kitmas for Christmas 2026, and we can’t wait! Watch this space, because we will be back with the same GOAL… send more football shirts to children across the UK at Christmas!