The Marmalade Trust host a 'Christmas Cheer' lunch every Christmas Day to help combat loneliness
Transcript
00:00 Oh, it was lovely. It was absolutely lovely.
00:05 Christmas cheer for the members, I think, is very important to them.
00:14 The ones I talk to, some of them don't go out all year,
00:17 so they really look forward to it and a bit of company
00:20 and something different from their normal surroundings at home.
00:28 Every Christmas day, I have had my Christmas dinner with a marmalade.
00:34 And I think to go out on Christmas Day to get ready, to dress up,
00:42 and go to a lovely venue where you would be able to have a lovely lunch
00:49 and company, you're with the same people because they would be lonely as well.
00:57 And it's a wonderful thing to do. It really is.
01:02 I think for a member and a volunteer, going to one of the Marmalade Trust Christmas parties
01:15 for the first time must be mind-blowing.
01:18 A) For the member, because most of the members who come here suffer from loneliness,
01:25 haven't got friends, haven't got family, and to come out to an affair like this,
01:29 which is a real family affair, everybody has a great time,
01:32 everybody's friendly, it's unbelievable for them.
01:35 And for the volunteer who's helping us, it's also an amazing experience to see
01:39 for what is actually a relatively small amount of my time and other people's times and what have you,
01:45 you can change people's lives quite significantly.
01:49 [The Marmalade Trust]
01:53 But, you know, it affects the lower you are down the chain.
02:01 Even some people who can't afford the basics in life, at least they can come along.
02:08 They haven't got to contribute. They can if they want.
02:12 But I think it's a great idea. More people should be doing it.
02:17 More people should be joining.
02:19 Well, I think everybody, you know, there's nothing worse than being on your own at Christmas.
02:25 It's not very nice all year round, but at least at Christmas you're out.
02:30 Because there's nothing else going. You can't do anything because everything shuts.
02:34 Because everybody's with their family, look.
02:37 And to me, the Marmalade is like my family.
02:42 [The Marmalade Trust]
02:47 [The Marmalade Trust]
02:52 [The Marmalade Trust]
02:58 [The Marmalade Trust]
03:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]