To All The Christmas Dinner Teams.

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Christmas Dinners
Dear Christmas Dinner Steering Groups Seventeen days to go.   How you’re doing?  You are incredible for making this happen.  I love it because it is such a positive  shining light throughout the  Winter. One of the central tenants of The Christmas Dinner is that steering group members are kind to each other, frank but kind. Kindness should underpin all communications: Kindness and fun.  There's a lot of work and we need to support each other cause Christmas is stressful enough.  Read more [...]

Will Your Company Support The Christmas Dinners?

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Christmas Dinners
Dear reader, In 2013 we started with one Christmas Dinner in Manchester.  Now there are 17 across the nation for 800 young 'care leaves'.   They were once in Childrens  Homes and foster care but at eighteen many are alone. They are  between 18 and 25 years old. We provide them with a scrumptious meal and a day of festivities and presents. We have a crowd fund campaign to raise £30,000  by December 31st for The Christmas Dinners.  We have £16,14 kindly donated so far with grateful thanks.  Read more [...]

Cut The Strip Lights It’s Christmas

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Christmas Dinners
https://youtu.be/kXH9O7ANuKU The Christmas Dinner is on Christmas Day because THAT is the day care leavers need it most.  From Canterbury to Stockport, from Hull to Hackney there `are seventeen Christmas Dinners for care leavers this year. Seventeen.   When I saw The Christmas Dinner for Care Leavers in 2012 (run by Tope Project  ) I knew. I just knew. And so in 2013 after respectfully seeking guidance I got a steering group together in Manchester. That was the first. My Read more [...]

Taking Care: The Christmas Dinner Campaign of Hope

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Christmas Dinners
https://youtu.be/-m6jQUQj7Ys Care leavers are strong. They have to be. Especially this time of year:   Christmas can be an intense reminder of everything they’ve never had.  It was for me.  They've left care:  Some  are sofa surfing, some are homeless, some of them living alone in rented accommodation or in hostels and many without a family. As soon as the adverts come on television, you know the ones, the John Lewis adverts,  the arks and Spencer adverts,  the young care leaver senses Read more [...]

All The Christmases in all the world.

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Main Page, The Christmas Dinner

I’m eating breakfast at The Chancellors Hotel on Christmas Eve because this year I’m attending The Manchester Christmas Dinner. Whoop Whoop

This is a movement. The Christmas Dinners are lighting up the country.  They come to life  because  of dedicated steering group members who’ve been meeting (since september!)  throughout the dark days of winter. It is  their community spirit,  team work  and self belief.

Each dinner has a facebook page. Click on the links to see  Birmingham, Canterbury, Read more […]

An outbreak of kindness all over the UK.

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Main Page, The Christmas Dinner

Through restoring community, renewing civic life and claiming our place in the world, we build a society in which our extraordinary nature – our altruism, empathy and deep connection – is released. A kinder world stimulates and normalises our kinder values. –  George Monbiot

We mobilise local communities across the UK to put on scrumptious and magical Christmas Day dinners for care leavers  turning Christmas into a time to cherish.   It takes one person ( How to Guide)  to start a Christmas Read more […]

A little help from my friends. Crowdfund.

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Main Page, The Christmas Dinner

In this blog I am going to make you feel good (possibly)  and ask for your help. The Christmas Dinner for care leavers was inspired by The Tope Project in 2012. . In 2013 the first Christmas dinner was held in  Manchester. In 2014 Manchester and Hackney. In 2015 Manchester, Hackney and Leeds and in 2016 a Christmas dinner took place for care leavers in Manchester, London, Leeds, Liverpool and Oxford. Here’s a BBC piece that went on Christmas Day 2016.

https://youtu.be/-m6jQUQj7Ys

So far in Read more […]

A Message from the Oxford Christmas Dinner Group.

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Main Page, The Christmas Dinner

Dear reader
The Oxford Christmas Dinner team are incredible and they’ve done some amazing work in making a brilliant Christmas Dinner last year.   I received this message in September and wish them all well for the future.

“Dear Lemn, 
We would like to let you know after much consideration, The Oxfordshire Christmas Dinner Steering Group have decided they are unable to commit the time needed to host a Christmas dinner in 2017.

The incredible network of volunteers and academic institutions that Read more […]

The Brand New Christmas Dinner How To Guide.

Posted on by Lemn Sissay in Main Page, The Christmas Dinner

Here are  Facebook page links for all the previous Christmas Dinners   1. Manchester 2. Hackney  3.Leeds  4. Liverpool 5. Oxfordshire.    A few months ago representatives from each dinner came together in  Southend.  That’s us in the photographs.  We spent days comparing and contrasting our dinners.

We now have a brand new  Christmas Dinner How To Guide. It’s everything you need to put on a Christmas Dinner in your area for vulnerable 18 – 25 year old care leavers. Scroll through Read more […]