{"id":4809,"date":"2020-12-11T17:28:23","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T17:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk\/imo\/?p=4809"},"modified":"2023-02-14T12:45:50","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T12:45:50","slug":"giving-care-leavers-a-christmas-day-theyll-never-forget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk\/imo\/your-stories\/giving-care-leavers-a-christmas-day-theyll-never-forget\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving care leavers a Christmas Day they\u2019ll never forget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-id=\"4808\" class=\"wp-image-4808\"\/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-id=\"4807\" class=\"wp-image-4807\"\/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>All over the country, volunteers are working to give care leavers a Christmas Day they\u2019ll never forget\u2026 and they\u2019re not letting a global pandemic stand in their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thechristmasdinners.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;The Christmas Dinner&#8221; project<\/a>&nbsp;was set up with the intention that no care leaver would be left alone on Christmas Day. Founded by the poet, Lemn Sissay MBE, each Dinner is its own individual project run by local volunteers who come together to make the Christmas Day magic happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many things this year, these Dinners have had to adapt to the pandemic. But thanks to the imagination and determination of everyone involved, this Christmas there will still be food, presents, laughter and love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Ellesmere Port, volunteer Jess is feeling full of enthusiasm for their adapted plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cAll our focus and energy is about making our care leavers feel special. We\u2019re working with some of the most vulnerable young people, and the need hasn\u2019t gone away with covid, if anything the need is more.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe last two years we\u2019ve held it in a theatre as we\u2019re linked to a local charity called Action Transport Theatre, but this year we wanted to find the most innovative and creative way of making it happen \u2013 and that\u2019s spurred us on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because care leavers can\u2019t come to Christmas Dinner this year, they\u2019re taking Christmas dinners to them. Jess and her team will be delivering over 40 hampers and gifts, direct to the doors of her guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvery care leaver has already been sent a card saying that we\u2019re looking forward to spending Christmas with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-id=\"4806\" class=\"wp-image-4806\"\/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-id=\"4805\" class=\"wp-image-4805\"\/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Down in London, Pam and her team have planned for a remote Christmas dinner as well as one held in the venue just in case restrictions are lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re determined to put something on, determined to show the kids someone cares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe will be delivering the hot meals, maybe at three different time slots so they can eat with people. As well as the food hamper there will be presents and an activity box.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This activity box contains games that can be played online in a zoom hang out with other guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe still want them to have some form of interaction. It will be virtual, but we have activities like DJs on board, kids can watch the set from home with shout outs throughout the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s striking about both Pam and Jess\u2019s approach is how personalised the scheme is, from asking each care leaver what they would like, to individualised handmade name tags for the stockings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Georgia, 19, is a care leaver who attended her first Christmas dinner at Ellesmere Port last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLots of young people don\u2019t have the usual family set up and when you don\u2019t have it you can feel a bit left out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLast year the staff were amazing, the atmosphere was amazing. This year on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day they will be delivering parcels, and I\u2019ve been asked to put together a playlist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cIt touches my heart that these people are strangers and they\u2019ve been taking time on Christmas Day and the months leading up to it to make it special.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI said on Christmas Day last year that I would definitely come back the following year. This year\u2019s a bit different but we\u2019ll adapt. Last year there were smiles all round and no one was unhappy, so I\u2019m looking forward to Christmas this year!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thechristmasdinners.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Find out more about the Christmas Dinners project.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All over the country, volunteers are working to give care leavers a Christmas Day they\u2019ll never forget\u2026 and they\u2019re not letting a global pandemic stand in their way. &#8220;The Christmas Dinner&#8221; project&nbsp;was set up with the intention that no care leaver would be left alone on Christmas Day. Founded by the poet, Lemn Sissay MBE, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":4808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-your-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>Giving care leavers a Christmas Day they\u2019ll never forget - IMO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk\/imo\/your-stories\/giving-care-leavers-a-christmas-day-theyll-never-forget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Giving care leavers a Christmas Day they\u2019ll never forget - IMO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"All over the country, volunteers are working to give care leavers a Christmas Day they\u2019ll never forget\u2026 and they\u2019re not letting a global pandemic stand in their way. &#8220;The Christmas Dinner&#8221; project&nbsp;was set up with the intention that no care leaver would be left alone on Christmas Day. 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