Christmas Day, Shared

This afternoon, Mark and I spent Christmas Day in Oxford with care leavers, and with the volunteers who made today’s Christmas Dinner for them happen. It was generous, warm and quietly extraordinary – one of those afternoons that settles you, lifts you, and reminds you what Christmas can look like when people decide to show up for one another.

All over the country today, volunteers have been doing the same thing: coming together so that no care leaver is left alone on Christmas Day. That simple, powerful idea sits at the heart of the Christmas Dinner project, founded by Lemn Sissay. Each dinner is its own local act of kindness, shaped by volunteers who choose to give their time, care and creativity to make the day feel special.

And special it really was. The room felt easy and welcoming from the moment people arrived. There were thoughtfully chosen presents, plenty of drinks and snacks, a superb Christmas dinner (of course!) and the freedom to spend the afternoon exactly as you wished. Some played pool, darts or table football. Others got stuck into craft. Some simply sat quietly, chatting or just being. No pressure. No expectations. Just space, warmth and choice.

One young person summed it up perfectly. Last year, they told me, the atmosphere had been amazing, with smiles all round – and this year was just as wonderful. What touched them most was knowing that people who had once been strangers had again chosen to give their Christmas Day – and months of preparation beforehand – to make it special. It mattered. You could see that it mattered.

Since 2013, the Christmas Dinners have grown into a remarkable movement, with more than 150 dinners across towns and cities, reaching thousands of care-experienced young people. Each one is run by local volunteers, following a shared approach but shaped by local love and energy. National partners add to that generosity with food, gifts and handmade quilts, but at its heart it remains about people creating belonging where it might otherwise be missing.

Here in Oxfordshire, today marked the second Christmas Dinner. Care leavers spent the day together, welcomed, fed and celebrated. A dedicated committee of volunteers raised the funds, planned the details and made it all work, with Oxfordshire Youth managing the funds and helping to ensure the future of the project.

As the afternoon drew on, what stayed with me most was not any single activity or conversation, but the collective feeling in the room. People choosing kindness. Choosing community. Choosing to give time, attention and care on a day that can be hard for many. For those who joined us today, the message was gentle but clear: you matter, you are welcome, and on Christmas Day, you are not alone.