Big Give Christmas Challenge
This Christmas, help refugees build a future through food
Share Food. Create Opportunities. Double your Impact
At Plateful Café, we believe that food has the power to bring people together, build confidence and open doors to new opportunities.
Every day, refugees and people seeking asylum face barriers to rebuilding their lives. Many bring valuable skills, talents and determination but lack the opportunities, connections and experience needed to take their next steps.
Plateful Café supports refugees and people seeking asylum facing barriers to employment. We provide hospitality training, skills development and paid work for refugees, and brings communities together through food.
This Christmas, you can help us continue that work – and make your donation go twice as far.
Your Donation Can Be Doubled
We are delighted to be taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2026.
Thanks to the generosity of our pledgers and the Champion funding we have secured, we already have £3,750 in matching funds.
Now we need your help to raise a further £3,750 in online donations between 1 and 8 December.
Every eligible donation will be matched pound for pound while matching funds are available.
£10 becomes £20.
£25 becomes £50.
£50 becomes £100.
Together, we can raise £7,500 to support our refugee hospitality training programme and the essential running costs that make our work possible.
Donations open at midday on 1 December and close at midday on 8 December 2026. Matching is available while funds last.
Where your donations will go
This Christmas, help refugees build a future through food. Your donation supports paid opportunities for refugee chefs, ingredients and equipment, and a contribution towards securing a new kitchen space. During 1–8 December, eligible Big Give donations can be doubled while match funding lasts.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Our eight-week hospitality training programme provides refugees and people seeking asylum with much more than cooking skills.
Participants learn food preparation, kitchen safety, front-of-house service and teamwork. They work towards recognised food hygiene and allergen qualifications, receive support with their CVs and develop the confidence to pursue employment or further education.
Just as importantly, they become part of a welcoming community where their talents are recognised and their contributions valued.
Since April 2023, Plateful Café has supported 60 people through hospitality training, with 12 moving into permanent employment and others progressing into further education or caring responsibilities.
Your donation helps us keep these opportunities available to people who need them.
How To Support Us
Organising a fundraising event is the best way to make an impact. We have a list of ideas and resources to support fundraising efforts. The donation link will go live on the 1st December, and donations must go through this link to be matched.
Together, We Can Open More Doors
For the people who join Plateful Café, hospitality training is about more than learning to cook or serve food. It is about being welcomed, feeling valued, building confidence and discovering new possibilities.
This Christmas, help us continue creating a place where refugees can develop their talents, connect with their communities and work towards a more secure future.
One week. One community. Twice the impact.
Big Give Christmas Challenge: 1–8 December 2026.
Thank you for being part of our community and helping us make a difference.