By Charlotte Webster–
A shopping centre’s Christmas giving tree appeal in Essex has raised enough donations to support every family in a women’s refuge in Havering, Essex as well as patients in hospital during the festive season.
The appeal which has been running for over 20 years obtained more than enough donations this christmas to put a smile on its intended targets. The centre had set December 18 as its deadline for a final call for donations, and were thrilled to realise they had beat their target.
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Natalie Bays, manager at the Mercury Shopping Centre, was pleased with the benevolence of the public. She said: ”We’re so grateful to our shoppers for their generosity and support during the busy Christmas period, proving, once again, just how generous our shoppers can be.”
Donations included items from the campaign’s Dream List for women and children, gift vouchers, and other seasonal treats
.The centre has received some donations, and have specifically requested items from its “dream list,” accessible via dreamlist.com by searching “The Giving Tree For Women’s Aid Havering.”
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Requested items include new, unopened household goods, clothing, toys, essentials, chocolates, sweets, luxury toiletries, candles, arts and craft kits, board games, DVDs, books, Lego, musical toys, fidget toys, toy cars, stickers, and activity books.
The goal is to create personalised gift boxes for every family and single individual in Havering refuge centres, plus gifts for hospital patients.
The “Mercury Christmas Donation” for women’s refuges refers primarily to the Giving Tree campaign run by The Mercury Shopping Centre in Romford, UK. This long-standing initiative provides gifts and essentials to families displaced by domestic violence.
The campaign began more than two decades ago at The Mercury Shopping Centre (formerly Mercury Mall) in Romford and was established to channel community generosity toward local vulnerable groups during the festive period.
While the appeal originally supported various local causes, in recent years its primary focus has been Havering Women’s Aid. This charity manages two large refuges and over 30 independent apartments for women and children escaping domestic abuse.
In the early 2020s, the campaign transitioned to include digital “Dream Lists” hosted on platforms like DreamList.com. This allows donors to purchase specific items—such as household goods, luxury toiletries, and toys—that are directly requested by the refuge families to meet their actual needs.
The appeal expanded its scope through a new partnership with the King George & Queen’s Hospitals Charity, providing gifts for patients spending Christmas in hospital alongside refuge residents.
The campaign aims to create personalized gift boxes for every family and individual in Havering refuge centers. Accepted items include new, unopened toys (Lego, board games), clothing, household essentials, and seasonal treats like chocolates.
This December marks a momentous development for the Giving Tree appeal. In partnership with the King George & Queen’s Hospitals Charity, it now extends to children and adults enduring hospital stays over Christmas.
The extension embodies the emotional toll of prolonged hospitalisation during the holidays. Gifts aim to bring comfort and distraction to young patients and their families, as well as adult inpatients facing isolation.
An insider in one of the two refuges that benefits from donations told The Eye Of Media.Com that ‘these donations provide a sense of “normality” and comfort during a period that is often traumatic.
While The Mercury Romford is the most prominent “Mercury” entity with this specific historical tradition, other organizations with similar names have contributed to domestic violence causes’.
The national charity Refuge (founded in 1971) runs its own annual “Gift a Night” and “Children’s Present Parcel” campaigns, often partnering with corporate sponsors like John Lewis.
In New Zealand, the energy provider Contact (formerly part of the same corporate lineage as some Mercury entities) is the major sponsor of the National Collective of Women’s Refuges, recently donating $50,000 to provide “Safe Nights” for Christmas 2023 and 2024.
Founded in memory of Freddie Mercury, this trust primarily funds HIV/AIDS grassroots organizations but has a history of charitable giving at Christmas, inspired by Freddie’s personal tradition of paying for hospital meals.
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