As we look towards the festive period, whatever it means to you, we can be sure that people across the country will be gathering with loved ones to share food and gifts.

However, we know this isn’t the reality for many. Across December our regional teams have taken time to support local charities and social organisations.

Our southwest-team supported the St Nicholas Food Hub in the centre of the city. The team spent an hour working alongside regular volunteers to pack over 100 Christmas dinner bags. These included everything you would need for a full-cooked meal, Christmas crackers, chocolate treats and soft drinks.

Each bag also contained an invite to a banquet in the new year, again inviting people in to share food and connect with others. We then helped the teams load up cars for delivery across the city.

These bags will support young people in supported housing, a women’s refuge, families accessing local food bank collection points and a nearby farm, where they will also provide people with a cooking session to learn how to prepare the food.  

Our London team supported Chelsea Football Club, providing Christmas lunch to 120 local people in need. Chelsea FC has been running the Christmas lunch for over 5 years, in partnership with homeless charity Glassdoor and the local St Magdalene’s Church. The kitchen served a wonderful three-course meal, including a mouth-watering dessert of apple crumble and Christmassy mince pies. Some guests commented the Chef had outdone himself with his turkey roast this year.

It was heart-warming to see Chelsea staff knowing guests on first-name terms and sharing laughs together, all contributing to a joyful evening where people in need were offered the chance to celebrate the festive season and feel part of the community.

Last, but by no means least, this year we have done things a little differently when it comes to thanking our clients for another excellent year. We have donated to Babbasa, our chosen charity of the year, in place of Christmas cards and gifts.

This will help Babbasa continue its vital work supporting young people across Bristol, providing mentoring opportunities, careers fairs, and workplace inclusion support.

We know that we are just playing a small part in the amazing work that goes across the country at this time of year. In the face of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the pressures don’t just exist across the festive period. We hope that our connections with these organisations will continue and through our project work, we can also continue to support local communities across the country.