The Christmas Dinner is in the Observer today as one of fifty new radical ideas. So here’s where The Christmas Dinners are at: This year The Christmas Dinner will be in Oxford, London Liverpool Leeds and Manchester. This may change. I hope more people do it. It is easier to say you’ll do it than actually do it. I define Christmas Dinner as including presents, taxis to pick up and drop off the young people, professional chef, top class food and waiter service, holiday food to take home. Games for the day and film showing for the day. Here’s the How To Guide. Do it. You can find out the practical nature of it by reading these blogs. Below are videos from 2013, 2014 and 2015.
What makes it radical? We are not an organisation: there is no boss. And yet we are more organised. There are more checks and balances. Nobody is paid. We are crowdfunders of goodwill. It is an important element that our community can support the care leaver. This is central to the idea: The steering group for each Christmas Dinner is made of people from the area. Each steering group has over an hundred years experience of working with young people in care. Also each steering group has up to an hundred years experience of working in creative industries. In other words “This is not just any old Christmas Dinner.” Here’s an article I wrote in the guardian.
2013 Manchester
2014 – Manchester & Hackney
2015 Manchester Hackney & Leeds
Keep up the good work!
Can anyone get involved with christmas dinners?
It’s a brilliant idea. Good luck x
yes
We would like to be involved, please let me know who to contact to discuss the Leeds Event. Thank you
Please write to Liz at tcdleeds@gmail.com.
Thank you! I will contact her today.
Who can I speak to in order to discuss supporting the 2016 Leeds event please?
Try Liz at tcdleeds@gmail.com.
Hi
Hear Lemn at The Connect Theatre he was truly wonderful.
The PA Network are collecting Secret Santa parcels for the Manchester Christmas dinner – can’t make their event to drop off donated parcels but happy to collect at our firm. Please put me in touch with a Manchester contact so I can arrange logistics.
Debby THANKYOU,
if you email presents@thechristmasdinner.org.uk They will look after you. THANKYOU SO MUCH Best Wishes Lemn Sissay
I am working with care leavers from The Royal Borough of Greenwich and would like some information on the Hackney dinner please?
Great work and would possibly like to host one next year 🙂
please read my blog THE SEVEN GOALS OF CHRISTMAS and write to the hackney address which you can find in it.
Can I donate? If so, how? I have only just been given this tablet and am a bit nervous with all the jargon. Can I give some money by phone?
maraliyn what a kind offer. I’m afraid we can’t accept money by phone. We will be campaigning next year to raise money for many Christmas Dinners. So if you keep your eye out and catch our campaign then your help would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou so much.
details are in this blog. http://blog.lemnsissay.com/2016/09/20/christmas-dinner-seven-goals-christmas/#sthash.cNSPS95F.dpbs