Thrive North Oxfordshire

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‘THRIVE’ is a charity based in Chipping Norton in OX7, aiming to support local children living in desperate circumstances.

THRIVE was formed in 2016 by a small group of local women after meeting the founders of an organisation called, ‘Community Awareness’, based in Gloucestershire. This organisation works to raise awareness of and offer support to local children living below the poverty line. After speaking with this group and hearing the shocking cases that they have been able to assist with in Gloucestershire, ‘Thrive’ was formed so that a similar group could help support desperate children in the North Oxfordshire area. The main objective of ‘Thrive’ is raising funds which are then used to provide practical support to these children of struggling families in North Oxfordshire who, for whatever reason, have a genuine, urgent need. Usually this need would be for a specific basic item such as toiletries, school uniform, a bed to sleep on, basic clothing (that most of us take for granted) or a rug to cover a bare floor following a sudden home move.

‘Thrive’ is in touch with partnership schools’ Parent Support Advisors and Chipping Norton Health Visitors. As the group becomes more established and funds grow, the aim is to extend the contact to include local nursery school leaders, health visitors, the food bank, women’s refuges, and the children’s centres. The staff in these roles can call on Thrive when they have a specific urgent request - they can request items for the children and Thrive can provide it. Most importantly Thrive will remain invisible to those families it supports, respecting the pride of those that the organisation has been able to help.

07/10/2026

A Thrive referral landed - and suddenly everything changed.

All the uniform they needed. A Clarks shoe voucher. Two girls buzzing with excitement as they pick out school shoes that last.

Real relief. Real impact. Right here in OX7.

This is grassroots support doing exactly what it should: cutting stress, boosting confidence, and helping families breathe again.

Our project to provide school uniforms and shoes to children and teens struggling through hardship in OX7 was made possible thanks to players. Thank you.

Photo by Sou Jest on Unsplash

28/09/2026

Last year, our Christmas wreath making workshop was a sell-out, so why not make it a festive date in your diary?

For enquiries and booking, send an email to: [email protected]

The evening includes all materials, tuition from Lucy Phillips, a glass (or two) of fizz, festive canapes and a self-care goody bag, in return for a donation to Thrive OX7 of £85.00.

All proceeds from the event will give much-needed winter support to children and teens surviving hardship in OX7.

21/09/2026

Sometimes a little help at the right moment makes all the difference.

We’re proud to stand alongside local families, making sure children and teens have what they need to feel confident and ready for school.

These words are from a local parent, commenting on the support Thrive OX7 was able to give with school uniform and shoes.

We couldn't do this without the support of our local community. Thank you.

Photo by Sergiu Vălenaș on Unsplash

15/09/2026

What a summer it’s been. We saw soaring temperatures and, with no let up on the pressure on family budgets from high fuel and food costs, soaring need for school uniforms, shoes and food vouchers from our local community.

Between June and August, support from Thrive OX7 eached 299 local people and most of our volunteers’ time has been spent ordering uniform items ready for the start of the new school year this September. Food vouchers are also high up the list of need, especially over the summer holidays when things are complicated by the loss of free school meals.

We have helped to promote good sleep for a newborn (and parents!) with a bedside crib, and a bed to replace a broken one for a young teen. For another family with a newborn experiencing hardship, we bought a cooker.

Books are at the top of the list of essentials for learning, and Thrive OX7 has bought new reading materials to support primary aged learners, as well as books for students moving on to Uni. For some youngsters, moving on is a big step, but one that highlights their progress. To congratulate them as they go, we helped with the purchase of farewell gifts. We wish them all well in the next steps of their academic journeys.

Learning and play go hand in hand, and we’ve helped a little girl with special educational needs by buying play equipment, building her confidence to move freely and to burn off some energy to help concentration. We’ve also helped families in need of respite with summer playschemes for nursery aged children to meet their friends while parents get a break to allow them time with their other children.

As ever, we are incredibly grateful to the network of caring professionals in the community who help us to provide consistent support to those in OX7 who are in the greatest need. Thank you.

08/09/2026

We’ve had a busy summer of fundraising, thanks to our wonderful supporters in and around Chipping Norton. A huge thanks to everyone who chose to use their event to fundraise for us. It means the world to the Thrive team and every penny raised will be spent supporting children and teens in the OX7 area. Oddington Festival Archivist

03/09/2026

For families finding it tough to make ends meet, summer holidays are a difficult time. Tight funds have to stretch further with children at home, and summer activities that many of us take for granted are quite simply out of reach.

That’s why Thrive OX7 teamed up with our friends at Chippy Lido to offer a family swim bundle to teens and their families. That way, a parent or carer could go along to the Lido and enjoy some time just chilling out and enjoying the water with their youngsters.

We were able to help ten families with tickets, which we estimate would have been 30 - 40 local people who would not otherwise have been able to afford to get out and enjoy a cooling dip in one of the hottest summers on record.

Huge thanks to the team at the Lido for their help in bringing this together!

30/08/2026

🎓 It’s time to get back to the classroom after a long hot summer! For Thrive, we have been busier than ever with requests for uniform items and shoes. Working closely with local schools and other agencies who care for the families most in need in our community, we have been able to reach 159 children in need of uniform and shoes for the new school year starting in September.

👔 Central to our beliefs is the thinking that for children to feel on an equal footing with their peers, they need the correct uniform in the correct fit. Worn out clothing and hand-me-down shoes set you apart from the majority and can be a big set-back to the self-esteem needed to get off to a good start on the next step of your school journey.

👞 We are super-proud of our team, for whom this is a lot of dedicated work in ordering the right sizes and colours and ensuring they are delivered to the school or family in good time. We think our reach is pretty good for a grass-roots charity run entirely by a volunteer team of seven people.

🍀 So whether you are moving to a new school, or returning to familiar learning spaces, we are sending everyone starting out on their new academic year the very best of luck,

Photo by ‪Salah Darwish on Unsplash

22/08/2026

Over the summer, Thrive worked with Chippy Lido and Chipping Norton secondary school to cover the cost of a lifeguarding course for a student who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to gain this qualification.

We are proud to report that following their training course, the young lifeguard started work at the Lido with a skill that they can take anywhere with them to find work and gain access to new opportunities.

We are a small grass roots charity run entirely by volunteers who are engaged with our local community, supporting the needs of children and teens in the OX7 area.

Photo by Malaya Sadler on Unsplash

16/07/2026

Wow!! We are totally blown away by the kindness and generosity of our local community. Thank you so much to everyone who has given to our toy campaign hosted by . They have all been so thoughtfully chosen - everything from plushies to playing cards to police cars, board games, puzzles and crafting kits. Every one will find a child in need in the OX7 area. Thank you 🙏💚

08/07/2026

We would like to say a very big Thank You to the wonderful Jo at Royal Mail Chipping Norton District Office, who has for many years collected jars of coins for Thrive OX7. Jo has now left Royal Mail but we would like to wish her all the very best with her next steps.

Every penny of the money donated by Jo and her colleagues is spent supporting children aged zero to 18 in the OX7 post code area with essential items ranging from school uniforms to residential trips for local students coping with hardship and crisis.

If you'd like to set up a Thrive OX7 coin jar in your workplace, just find an old jar and start with those coins hanging around in your desk drawer. Once full, just deliver it to our friends The Living Room Cinema in Chipping Norton who will store it safely until one of our team can pick it. Every penny really does count!

Thanks to all our wonderful donors and all their donations - in whatever form they arrive.

Address

Chipping Norton

Website

https://www.thrive-ox7.org/

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