Story

The Christmas Dinner, Huddersfield aims to provide an enjoyable and memorable Christmas Day experience for Kirklees Care Leavers. They will receive food, friendship, entertainment and meaningful gifts in a safe and caring environment. As Lemn Sissay explains, the alternative for these young people can be bleak: "Many care leavers are sat in flats, B&Bs and hostels, away from family, or sofa-surfing, and some are indeed living on the streets on their own at Christmas...The Christmas Dinners will be a life-changing and life-saving experience." The Christmas Day dinner is organised entirely by volunteers; we raise the funds, cook and serve dinner, organise gifts and entertainment - and send them home with a food parcel. So...every penny we raise goes into organising the best day we can for our special guests. On this, our inaugural year, we will do all we can to bring joy to the young adults that accept our invitation in the hope that more will be encouraged to join us in future years. Lemn Sissay started The Christmas Dinners for young adults leaving care in Manchester in 2013 and we will be joining more than 20 dinners for Care Leavers across the UK in 2019.