Operation Elf is Pact’s annual campaign supporting prisoners to give a Christmas gift to their child. With your help, we can make the festive period a littler brighter for families across England and Wales.

Every year more than 200,000 children experience the distress and heartache of having a parent in prison. Christmas can be a particularly painful time, but with your help we can make a big difference.

This year, by purchasing an extra gift card during your Christmas shop, we can make sure a prisoner can give a gift to their child to buy something they really want...

Step 1: Pledge your support

Pledge your support for Operation Elf using our online form.

You can also share your support on social media using the hashtag #OperationElf.

Pledge Your Support

Step 2: Buy a gift card

Buy a gift card to the value of £10 that we can send to a prisoner's child.

Choose one that gives lots of options to a child. Children are different! Some may want to buy chocolate, others popular toiletries, a book, or they may like to put it towards a new jacket. You can buy a One4All gift card at the Post Office or online - this can be used in lots of shops. Otherwise, choose department store gift cards.

Please send us actual gift cards and not e-cards or e-vouchers as these are difficult to distribute.

I want to donate more than £10. What can I do? 

That's fantastic! If you would like to donate more than £10, please purchase multiple £10 gift cards. For example, if you would like to donate £30, please buy three gift cards to the value of £10 each - and send all three to us.

I want to donate less than £10. What can I do?

We're grateful for every donation - thank you for your support. If you would like to donate an amount less than £10, please try clubbing together with friends to buy a £10 gift card or make a donation online.

Can I donate books and toys instead?

We kindly ask that you do not buy books or toys for a prisoner's child this year as we will be unable to distribute them.

Step 3: Send your donation to Pact

If you buy your card(s) online, you can choose to have them delivered straight to Pact at the address below. Alternatively, you can send your card(s) in an envelope.

Operation Elf
Pact
29 Peckham Road
London SE5 8UA

IMPORTANT: Please make sure that your card(s) arrive with us before 30th November 2021 to allow our Christmas Elves to share them with mums and dads in prisons to give to their children.

I felt it was a great opportunity to be offered this gesture, as it will benefit my children greatly and help us to maintain family ties.

- Parent benefitting from Operation Elf 2020

In the last part of this difficult year, we can begin to look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.  For those families where a parent is in prison, Christmas can be a particularly painful time.  Through Pact’s Operation Elf, parishes and individuals can support prisoners to give a gift to their child, sharing a little love and joy and strengthening the family bond. This simple act can nurture the hope that redemption and a fresh start is possible. Please support Operation Elf if you can. Thank you.

- Bishop Richard Moth.

Our Supporter Relations team are on hand to help you with anything you'd like to know about Operation Elf 2021. Get in touch with them via email on [email protected] or by calling 020 7735 9535.

Read More

• Read about Operation Elf in 2020.
• Read Sister Silvana Dallanegra's blog about Operation Elf, from the perspective of Caritas Westminster.
• Sign up to Fresh Start, our quarterly supporter newsletter, to find out more about Pact's work to support prisoners and their families throughout the year.