Christmas 2025 at Cheltenham Open Door
Christmas at Open Door takes place at our Guest Hub on Alstone Lane. We will be open to Guests on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day between 9am and 3pm.
There will be festive fun, Christmas trees, delicious meals and treats, and gift bags for every guest.
Guests can access chiropody and hairdressing sessions, showers (with toiletries and towels) as well as television, board games and entertainment. A range of clothing will be available from our clothes store.
Anyone who would like to join us is welcome. No booking, referral or ID is needed. Everything we offer to guests is free.
How to support our guests at Christmas
Make a financial donation
Financial donations help to make our Christmas event possible. If you feel able to contribute any amount, find out how to make a donation.
Festive food donations
At Christmas we need specific foods for our festive menus. If you would like to buy/deliver any of these items, please email our chef Marc on chef@cheltenhamopendoor.org.uk or give him a call on 07827 205456.
Click on the tab below to see the festive food items we need.
Festive food items we need
Cheeses – Cheddar, Stilton, Brie and Red Leicester
Onion chutney / relish
Biscuits for cheese
Fresh fruit
Christmas puddings
Christmas cakes
Mince pies
Ready-made custard
Double cream
Croissants / pain au chocolat
Cereals (Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, Kraves, granola, porridge oats)
Jams and spreads
Smoked back bacon
Sausages
Large frozen king prawns
Eggs
General food donations
We create food parcels for our homeless guests all year round. Donating the goods we regularly need is the most useful and important thing you can do. These items last all year and help ensure our homeless guests have food between their visits to the Guest Hub.
Click on the tab below to see the general food items we need.
General food items we need
Pot Noodles
Tinned ham and corned beef
Tinned fish
Tinned hotdogs
Tinned beans and sausages
Squeezy cheese
Tinned ready meals (e.g. macaroni cheese, ravioli, bolognaise, chilli)
Chocolate spread and honey
Cartons / tins of custard and rice pudding
Chocolate and chewy bars
Crisps
Biscuits
Cans and bottles of pop
Small sugar and coffee sachets
Donate other general items
- Dog food + treats and gifts for four-legged friends
- Toiletries (e.g. shampoo and conditioner, shower gel, antiperspirant spray, moisturiser)
- Sleeping bags (the ones that stuff down small)
- Blankets
Help us fill a gift bag
Every one of our guests receives a gift bag filled with donations from the community. If you’d like to help, please make sure any gifts you donate are:
- Unwrapped (so we can make up individual bags)
- Marked as gifts and separated from other items
We particularly need gifts for men. Click on the tab below to find out what we need.
Items to help us fill gift bags
We particularly need gifts for men such as:
Nice toiletries: shower gel; body sprays; mini perfume/cologne; safety razors and shaving gel; gift sets
Edible treats: Chocolates; nuts; sweets; savouries; biscuits; food items usually out of financial reach (tinned pies (like Fray Bentos), tinned meats, tinned ready meals such as chilli/curry)
Small, practical gifts: tool sets; lighters; notebooks; rucksacks; camping items; usb plugs; charging cables; tobacco tins; head torches; torches; camping lights; hot water bottles; new bed linen; bike pumps; puncture repair kits
Brand new clothes (as gifts): boxer shorts; hoodies; T shirts; jeans; knickers
Would you like to send us items without having to go out shopping? Buy from our Amazon Wishlist and items come directly to us!
Our guests love the same treats as anyone else and not all our guests are homeless. The only gifts we can’t accept are medication, alcohol or anything with a blade (except safety razors: they’re fine!)
Donate casual clothes
We also like to restock our clothing store with good, second-hand items that our Guests can choose from at Christmas. The only clothing items we can accept are men’s and women’s CASUAL clothes. Many of our guests lead complex lives and are often on the move.
We need the following items (new and used) for men and women:
- T shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies
- Jeans and joggers
- Trainers
- Brand new pants and socks
We also need:
- Tents – up to 4 berth
- Large rucksacks
- Flasks
Items we cannot accept
- We cannot take shoes/shirts/formal jackets
- We cannot accept household items
- We cannot accept children’s items
- We cannot accept bedding/duvets
Download our Christmas shopping list
Download and print the Cheltenham Open Door Christmas Appeal as an A4 page for your workplace or to put on the fridge at home as a handy reminder of how to help.
Other enquiries
If you have a question that is not related to the details above, please email christmas@cheltenhamopendoor.org.uk
Opening times for donations
Donations should be dropped off at the Guest Hub. It is located at Unit 3, St George’s Business Park, Alstone Lane, Cheltenham GL51 8HF. Find it here. We can receive donations at the following times.
| Until (and including) 18 December 2025 | Mondays to Thursdays | 9am to 3pm |
| Sundays | 8.30am to 1pm | |
| 19 December until 26 December 2025 | Every day | 10am to 3pm |
Christmas volunteers
The application window for Christmas 2025 volunteering has now closed. Due to a high response, we are unable to accept any more applications.
This page highlights other ways you can help us at Christmas. If you’re interested in year-round volunteering, visit our Volunteering page.