FOR ten years a group has got together in York to give presents to almost 2,000 elderly residents at Christmas.
The annual festive pop-up, Xmas Presence, took place at Lord Deramore’s School in Heslington to give dozens of older people a great Christmas to remember - with hampers delivered to people in their homes.
Recommended reading:
- Part of main road in York closed
- E-scooter crackdown ahead of Christmas
- Top award for York's newest school
Organiser Ian Donaghy said: “I have no idea where 10 years have gone but I know how proud it has made us feel.
"Xmas Presence was created from nothing.
“There’s a word for creating summat from nowt. It’s called magic and it pretty much sums up what happens here.
"All our meat is provided by M&K Butchers on Bishopthorpe Road.
"All of our vegetables are donated by Simon Baynes.
"A man called Peter said to my son, Billy Donaghy then aged eight that he was spending Christmas alone and so Billy asked me: what are we going to do about that? That’s not right.
"Within a week it had a name, a logo was designed and a group of strangers came together with a common cause."
For years Beverley Lonsdale has expertly liaised with Age UK and York neighbours to find who would appreciate our festivities, said Ian.
“For years we did a party on Christmas day where guests were chauffeur driven there and back with a live brass band and interactive party games but following lockdown more and more people wanted to have our helpers come around to their homes with Christmas dinners and hampers full of gifts,” he said.
"On Sunday the team of people helped us build and wrap boxes to turn them into hampers full of things that are warm and snuggly, make you smell nice or put on weight.
"Every hamper is a compendium of kindness donated by people in the city to as far as London and from Mr Tunnock himself!
"Each one contains socks, handknitted gloves, chocolates, bespoke biscuits, toiletries and treats galore.
"A company called the Biskery even designed bespoke Xmas Presence shortbread biscuits.
“Each pair of driver and chaperone are given 4 homes to visit where we prepare their dinners, have a cuppa and a chat and give them their wonderful hampers."
As Ian told the 75 volunteers at Lord Deramore’s School in Heslington: “You have no idea how much you matter by you showing all of these lovely people we visit how much they matter
"In many cases we have re-ignited Christmas for the people we visit many of whom previously stopped celebrating Christmas.
“Over the past decade Xmas Presence given so many people their last Christmas so let’s make sure we make it special.”
New recruit this year Steve Ruane guitarist with York band the 515s explained why he threw his hat into the ring.
“For the last 12 years I have always looked after elderly parents at Christmas. Always made sure they were fed, watered spoiled a little and generally made to feel special. My dad passed six years ago, and then my mum passed in March this year. They looked after me for all their lives, even now I still feel they look after me somehow," he said.
"Because I wouldn’t be looking after them this year I still wanted to give something. Xmas Presence seemed ideal. My daughter was with me today, she loved every moment. I said to her, when you make the hamper up imagine how Grandma Madge would feel if she received this! That made us both smile. We put love in those hampers.”
"Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help.”
Joan Pritchard, a retired nurse, who has volunteered for 8 years said: “It’s a lovely thing to do for bring joy to people and I’ve met a smashing bunch of people. It’s also great fun but exhausting.”
Ian said: "The most common misconception is that our Xmas Presence team has given up our Christmas. The truth is we’ve got it back!”
Share