Thanks so much for finding us. Our marketing must be working! And if you got involved last year and are checking to see if we’re still here and you’re still needed, we are indeed and you are most definitely needed. Thank you! We need your help to create another magical Christmas Day Dinner for some brilliant, resilient young people who’ve gone through the care system.
Last December, almost 70 young people were invited to a stunning location in the heart of Richmond borough to enjoy a scrumptious and magical Christmas Day Dinner. From start to finish, the event was designed to be a very special day for people who may never have had that experience before or had had very negative experiences at Christmas. Six months later, The Richmond Christmas Day Dinner won the prestigious Community Heroes Award. The team at Richmond Council put together this fantastic video of Sian and Emily, one of our guests, which tells you everything you need to know:
And now we are doing it all again – in December 2019 – for such a deserving group of people. Planning starts in earnest in September. Can you help? Could you make a donation to the event or perhaps volunteer to join one of the committees we are setting up? If you can, please email christmasdayrichmond@gmail.com and get in touch.
See the video from the 2018 event:
Once again, we’re determined to create a time to have a good laugh, make new friends and feel valued. Our goal is to provide a safe and welcoming place for care leavers to spend Christmas day, complete with traditional Christmas lunch, lovely gifts and festive fun.
Click here to see what Radio Wandsworth think of our project
“We have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have come forward to volunteer,” says Sian Thomas, the nurse spearheading the event, which has been inspired by Lemn Sissay. “One of the key things we needed was presents for these young adults and they arrived in their droves. Many have never had presents at Christmas before so we are appealing to local business to provide these presents, especially ones that have that ‘wow’ effect.
“We also wanted to treat our guests like kings or queens for the day and that means they needed to arrive in a taxi.”
“We all know people who would like to make a difference to the lives of others at Christmas – now they can by getting involved with The Christmas Dinner. A warm fuzzy feeling is guaranteed.”
Click here to find out what Vince Cable, MP for Twickenham thinks of our event
Happy faces on at the Christmas Day Richmond event 2018
