FIFTY young local people who have just left the care system were invited to stunning location in the heart of the borough to enjoy a scrumptious and magical Christmas Day Dinner. The event created a special day for people who may never have had that experience or even more, had very negative experiences at Christmas, to create new memories and bring people together as one ‘family’.
People of all ages and backgrounds pooled their energies and resources to create a traditional, family-feel Christmas Day for care leavers aged between 18 and 25. Richmond will be only the second London Borough to make this happen.
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“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.”
“Lemn Sissay, MBC, a poet, playwright and care leaver himself set up the Christmas Dinner in 2013 and it is now running across the country – we will be the second London borough to host one.
“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.”
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See below a video featuring the inspiration behind our event, Lemn Sissay
