CHARITY and young people’s organisation Theatre Porto in Ellesmere Port will be hosting a special Christmas dinner for care leavers.

A care leaver is an adult who has spent time living in the care system, away from their family.

This could be with a foster family, in a children’s home or supported housing service, or under another arrangement as agreed by their social worker.

The Christmas Dinner is an annual project founded by the poet Lemn Sissay OBE for communities to provide an amazing Christmas Day for care leavers aged between 18 and 25

Throughout December volunteers have been delivering advent gifts to care leavers and decorating Theatre Porto ready to host the dinner.

As well as people giving their time to prepare for the event, the charity has once again received a phenomenal amount of support including generous donations via a Crowdfunder page, handmade gifts and Christmas cards made for attendees from local primary schools.

The Christmas Dinner would like to especially thank:

  • Westminster Foundation for their kind donation
  • John Lewis/Waitrose for their food hamper donation so that every guest takes home a bag of food
  • Quilts for Care Leavers for their gifts of the homemade quilts and hot water bottle covers so each young person has a ‘hug’ to take home
  • The Literacy Trust for donations of books as gifts
  • The Elected Members across Cheshire West and Chester who support their local care leavers
  • The University of Chester for their donation of food for the big day
  • ‘Steve the Cactus Man’ who is donating a Tincan Cactus for all young people @tincancacti
  • Spark Creative and Marvellous Inc. - Special thanks to Tracy Lynn, Director for Spark Creatives and Rob Smalldon, Director of Marvellous Inc
  •  Lockwood and Co. who are supplying all of the drinks for the day

Theatre Porto’s Jess Egan-Simon said: "Being able to deliver the Ellesmere Port Christmas Dinner in person this year feels so important, given the pressures so many of our young care leavers will be under at the moment.

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"The last two years we have provided a delivery service but this year we are so thrilled to be able to plan and host a wonderful day in the brand new refurbished Theatre Porto.

"Every person who volunteers, donates and supports us makes this possible. We are so thankful for this kindness shown."

Chester and District Standard:

Charlie, a Care Leaver and previous Christmas Dinner guest, said: "Thank you, you really didn’t have to do this, you’ve made my day to see that someone cares about someone like me when you don’t even know me, it just shows that there is still humanity in the world and I wish more people were like you."

Anyone wishing to make a donation to this year’s Christmas Dinner can do so via Crowdfunder.

For further information about getting involved in supporting the Christmas Dinner please email ellesmereportxmasdinner@gmail.com.