In December 2015, Paul Irwin attended a Salvation Army service in Aylesbury on behalf of Buckinghamshire County Council, now Buckinghamshire Council. He was there to receive toys collected by the congregation for local children going through difficult times.
What stayed with him was the generosity of local people—and just how much they wanted to help. Paul came away inspired to organise a collection of his own, bringing together Council staff and councillors.
That first collection brought in more than 1,000 presents from staff and friends. It was too good to be a one-off, so the Christmas collection became an annual Council event.
The kindness kept growing. By December 2019, the number of presents donated had reached 3,000, helping bring a little Christmas joy to children across Buckinghamshire.
In 2021, Inspire Bucks became a charity. It was a chance to build on everything that had already been achieved and offer more help throughout the year, beyond Christmas and birthdays.
Today, we support children, young people and families across Buckinghamshire who are going through difficult times. That same spirit of local generosity is still at the heart of what we do: people coming together to make life a little brighter for someone else.
In 2025, we supported more than 4,000 children and young adults across Buckinghamshire. From that first collection of Christmas presents to the work we do today, it’s the generosity of our supporters that makes it all possible.
Whether you’d like to give a gift, make a donation, volunteer your time or offer a helping hand through your organisation, we’d love to hear from you.