Open to all care experienced people
More than 100 care experienced people from across Scotland are being invited to Christmas Dinner in Glasgow by Scottish charity, Who Cares Scotland.
Ensuring that Christmas isn’t anything less than the best for care experienced people, the charity is once again hosting its Care Family Christmas following a two-year break due to the pandemic.
Since 2014, the charity has held its Care Family Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day, which is open to all care experienced people in Scotland. That is those who are currently, or have been, in the care system including foster care, kinship care, residential care, adoption and looked after at home.
The day promises to be a fun-filled festive extravaganza with a visit from Santa, presents for all the guests, a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and even time to watch a classic Christmas film with hot chocolate.
The charity is also donating 3,000 special Christmas parcels to make sure every one of its members has something to open on Christmas Day.
Louise Hunter, chief executive at Who Cares Scotland, said: “I’m so grateful that we’re able to bring back the Care Family Christmas Dinner and once again share the love with care experienced people over the festive season.
“For most people, Christmas is a joyous time spent with family. But for many care experienced people it can be a difficult time. Many have been removed from their families in childhood and experienced multiple placement moves which makes it hard to create the lifelong family connections we take for granted. This can make it challenging to plan a Christmas Day that’s full of love and a sense of belonging.
“But it doesn’t need to be this way. That’s why I’m so proud of our Care Family Christmas Dinner which provides a place for care experienced people to come together on a day they might otherwise be alone. I look forward to laughing over Christmas dinner with them this year.”
Since its inaugural year, the Care Family Christmas dinner has welcomed hundreds of care experienced from around Scotland. This year is no different, with one guest traveling from as far away as Stornoway to attend.
David Grimm, a care experienced person and Christmas consultant for the event, said: “The Care Family Christmas dinner is like nothing else. I’ve been to five of them and every year it’s something I look forward to. Each time it has changed slightly but what has always remained the same is the feeling of love in the room.
“It’s so special because you instantly feel welcomed in the space. It’s such a warm and happy place to be. The sense of love among everyone warms the room from the people, the staff and the volunteers - everyone is there because they want to be.
“Being surrounded by peers and people who know about care means that you can just be yourself. There’s no need to talk about care or your experience and you don’t need to wear a mask. I can’t wait to spend Christmas day with my care family.”
