Stan’s Secret Santa
The Manchester Museum
2nd December 2025 – 7th December 2025
Find Out More → Get here sustainably
Stanta Claws is back in town and ready to make the annual Christmas gift appeal truly roar-some.
The Museum’s beloved Tyrannosaurus rex, Stan, is once again putting on his Santa hat to help deliver festive gifts to people experiencing homelessness and poverty across Manchester.
Stan’s Secret Santa will run from Tuesday 2 December to Sunday 7 December, during which the Museum will collect gifts and food donations for Manchester-based charities Barnabus, Mustard Tree and Wood Street Mission.
Visitors can head to the Museum between 10am–5pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or between 10am–8pm on Wednesday, to deliver donations to Stan and his team of elves. They can also take a selfie with Stanta during their visit.
The appeal is seeking donations of new, non-perishable Christmas food items—including chocolate selection boxes, biscuits and sweets—as well as clothing. Wood Street Mission is also specifically appealing for new toys, gifts or books, unwrapped and suitable for children aged 0–14, along with wrapping paper.
At the end of the appeal, all gifts will be gathered by Stanta’s elves and passed on to Barnabus, Mustard Tree and Wood Street Mission to help bring a little joy to people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
A full list of the most-needed donation items from the selected charities can be found below.
