History of the Jersey Christmas Appeal
The Beginnings
The Jersey Christmas Appeal was started by the Jersey Evening Post in 1897. It was originally known as the Christmas Dinner Fund and in its first year it raised £26 18s 9d (twenty six pounds, eighteen shillings and nine pence).
It has continued ever since, even during the German Occupation. In the Island's most desperate time of Christmas 1944, the appeal raised £551 - approximately £21,000 at today's values.
The Post-War Period
After the Second World War the service clubs in the Island - Rotary, Lions, Round Table and Soroptimists - recognised the importance of the Appeal and combined their efforts with the Jersey Evening Post to form the "Joint Jersey Christmas Appeal".
The Appeal was later joined by BBC Radio Jersey and Channel 103, as did the second Rotary Club, Rotary Club de la Manche.
Over 100 years since its inception, the service clubs and media remain committed to the success of the Appeal.
In 2015, the Joint Jersey Christmas Appeal was re-named simply the 'Jersey Christmas Appeal', as we renew our efforts to build awareness of the work and benefits of the Appeal to the community of the island, and to engage with a broader cross-section of the Island's population.