Key Points
- Than two-thirds of parents in Wales say they have skipped meals or eaten less to make sure their children could have a Christmas. This comes from a survey by Barnardo’s which shows how tough the holiday season has become for families.
- In Wales 64% of parents expect to go into debt this Christmas. At the time 65% say they will have to delay paying a household bill. Four out of five parents in the region are preparing to make major sacrifices.. 71% Believe that Christmas will be harder to afford than it was last year.
- The numbers are tough. Thirty-two percent of Welsh parents said they would go without clothes. Twenty-four percent said they would put off repaying debts. Another 24% said they would not buy presents for their spouse or partner. More troubling 19% said they would reduce heating in their homes just to afford gifts, food or special festive experiences for their children.
- These results come from a UK- Censuswide survey. It included 2,763 parents with children under 18. The survey was carried out between October 6 and October 16.
- Across the UK 45% of parents said they had skipped meals or eaten less. Forty-three percent expected to go into debt.. 52% Said Christmas would be harder to afford than last year.
- Barnardo’s launched a Christmas campaign to highlight the struggles many families face. On November 4 and 5 the charity set up a shop in Soho. Of price tags the gifts had labels that described the sacrifices parents were making.
- The campaign has support from figures. Dame Helen Mirren is a Barnardo’s ambassador. So is Michelle Collins, an actor from EastEnders.
- Barnardo’s says it helped than 350,000 children, parents and carers last year. That support came through than 650 services and partnerships, across the UK.
Wales (Wales Times) November 06, 2026 — More than two-thirds of parents in Wales surveyed by the children’s charity Barnardo’s say they have skipped meals or reduced the amount they eat so that they can afford Christmas for their children, according to research reported by Nation.Cymru.
The charity’s survey also found that 64% of Welsh respondents expect to take on debt this Christmas, while 65% say they will delay paying a household bill. Nearly four in five expect to make significant sacrifices, and 71% are concerned that Christmas will be more difficult to afford this year than last year.
The findings form part of a UK-wide survey of 2,763 parents with children under 18, carried out by Censuswide between October 6 and 16.
How Are Welsh Parents Cutting Back?
Among Welsh respondents, 32% said they would go without new clothes for themselves, while 24% said they would put off repaying existing debts. The same proportion, 24%, said they would not buy Christmas presents for their spouse or partner.
Almost one in five Welsh parents — 19% — said they would sacrifice heating their homes to pay for Christmas gifts, food or experiences for their children.
As reported by Nation.Cymru staff, Laura Tomsa, assistant director for children’s services at Barnardo’s Cymru, said the festive period brought considerable pressure for families already struggling financially.
“We see parents making significant sacrifices to give their children the Christmas they deserve, whether that’s going without new clothes, cutting back on essentials, or putting off paying bills so they can afford presents and festive activities,”
she said.
“No parent should have to choose between keeping up with household costs and creating special memories for their children. Yet for many families, these are the difficult decisions they face every year,” Tomsa added.
What Does the UK-Wide Research Show?
The Welsh figures are higher than the UK-wide results reported in coverage of the same Barnardo’s research. As reported by AOL, 45% of parents across the UK said they had skipped meals or reduced how much they eat to afford Christmas for their children, while 43% expected to go into debt.
AOL also reported that 52% of UK parents were worried that a “magical Christmas” would be harder to afford this year than last year. The outlet said struggling parents had told Barnardo’s they were choosing between heating and eating to ensure their children could enjoy the festive season.
According to AOL, more than a quarter of UK parents — 27% — said they were saving for emergencies, while 16% said they had reduced spending on heating their home and 17% said they had delayed paying household bills on time.
The Express reported that the Censuswide survey, carried out for Barnardo’s, suggested around 3.7 million parents in the UK had skipped meals or reduced how much they were eating to afford Christmas for their children. The newspaper also reported that 37% of UK parents believed their child would miss out on the “magic of Christmas” because of financial constraints.
Why Has Barnardo’s Launched a Christmas Campaign?
The survey marks the launch of Barnardo’s Christmas campaign, which the charity says highlights the costs parents absorb to provide presents and celebrations for their children.
As part of the campaign, Barnardo’s opened a temporary shop in Soho, London, on November 4 and 5. Children’s clothing and gifts carried labels describing what parents had gone without to afford them, rather than displaying prices.
The Express described the installation as a pop-up shop “disguised as a gift shop” in central London, saying Barnardo’s replaced price tags with labels telling stories of what struggling parents had sacrificed to afford Christmas for their child.
The campaign is backed by Barnardo’s ambassador Dame Helen Mirren and EastEnders actor Michelle Collins, both of whom spoke about their own families’ experiences of financial pressure.
As quoted by the Express, Mirren said:
“Some struggling parents are making significant sacrifices to be able to afford a magical Christmas for their children.”
She added that Barnardo’s was helping families in poverty and that, together, more children could enjoy “the warmth, joy and wonder that Christmas should bring”.
The Express also quoted Collins as saying that supporting Barnardo’s child poverty campaign was “something very close to my heart”.
What Has Barnardo’s Said About Parents’ Choices?
Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said parents were often shielding their children from hardship by going without themselves.
“Our research suggests that millions of parents are making difficult choices, including skipping meals, delaying bills and taking on debt, because they want their children to enjoy the same magic of Christmas as their peers,” Perry said, as reported by Nation.Cymru.
The charity says it supported more than 350,000 children, parents and carers through more than 650 services and partnerships across the UK last year.
Background of the Development
Barnardo’s is a UK children’s charity that provides services and partnerships supporting children, parents and carers. Its latest Christmas campaign is based on research commissioned through Censuswide, which surveyed 2,763 UK parents of children under 18 between October 6 and 16.
The Wales-specific findings reported by Nation.Cymru show a higher proportion of parents reporting meal-skipping than the UK-wide figure: more than two-thirds in Wales, compared with 45% across the UK.
The campaign follows wider research by Barnardo’s into the effect of living costs on families. In June, Barnardo’s Ireland reported that 44% of parents surveyed had skipped meals or reduced portion sizes so children would have enough to eat, up from 40% the previous year; that separate research was based on a survey of 1,000 parents and guardians in Ireland conducted by Amárach Research.
Prediction: How Could This Affect Families in Wales?
For parents and carers in Wales, the findings suggest that Christmas spending may continue to compete directly with essential household costs such as food, heating and bill payments. If families delay bills or take on further debt, some may face higher financial pressure in the new year, particularly where existing debts are already being postponed.
For children, the reported pattern indicates that many parents are prioritising presents, food and festive experiences while reducing their own spending on clothes, meals or heating. Barnardo’s says this reflects parents attempting to protect children from the visible effects of financial hardship.
For community organisations, schools and local support services in Wales, the survey may increase demand for practical assistance during the winter period, including food support, debt advice and family services. Barnardo’s says its UK-wide network supported more than 350,000 children, parents and carers last year through more than 650 services and partnerships.
