The Bridge Homelessness to Hope in Leicester served Christmas dinner to 140 guests from the city’s homeless community on Christmas Day 2023.
Staff and volunteers from The Bridge Homeless to Hope cooked and served festive meals with all the trimmings (including takeaways) at the charity’s facility in Melton Street, Leicester. They were joined by Henrietta Chubb, High Sheriff of Leicestershire, who helped with the preparations.
Guests enjoyed a three-course meal with leek and potato soup to start, then traditional Christmas dinner and Christmas or sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
Supporters of the charity, Amazon, also donated presents for guests consisting of backpacks filled with chocolate selection boxes, water bottles, a Greggs voucher and gloves.
The Christmas dinner was the finale to The Bridge Homelessness to Hope’s ‘12 Days of Christmas’ campaign, where guests have enjoyed 12 days of Christmas events at Melton Street including Christmas card making, gingerbread decorating, quizzes and games, karaoke, and films. Funds for the campaign have reached an incredible £4,000 including a £1,000 donation from Shoe Zone, which was put towards the costs of the Christmas meal.
David Fawcett, Executive Operations Manager at The Bridge Homelessness to Hope charity said: “We have an annual commitment to the city’s homeless community to serve their Christmas dinners at this particularly difficult time of the year. It’s so easy to overlook the challenges that homeless people face at Christmas and beyond, particularly when you’re celebrating the festive season with your own family and friends, so we really value the support of our dedicated staff and volunteers for giving their time on this special day.”
Henrietta Chubb, High Sheriff of Leicestershire added: “It was my privilege to have this opportunity to thank the staff and volunteers at The Bridge Homelessness to Hope for the valuable work they do year-round and particularly at this time of year, supporting the city’s homeless community. It was also my pleasure to meet so many of the guests.”
For more information about The Bridge Homelessness to Hope, visit https://www.bridgeleicester.org/
