Free Christmas Lunch For Swansea’s Homeless And Vulnerable
A free Christmas dinner with all the trimmings will be served up to homeless and vulnerable people in Swansea later this month.
The ‘Together at Christmas’ event, planned for the city’s Brangwyn Hall on Tuesday December 20, is being delivered by JR Events and Catering, with support from Swansea Council.
Organisers are now contacting local charities, churches and homeless organisations to extend the invite.
The event will feature entertainment, as well as a two-course, carvery-style Christmas lunch and non-alcoholic drinks.
Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “Due to a variety of different circumstances, many people across Swansea find themselves either homeless, vulnerable, isolated or in need.
“Rough sleeping and homelessness are more in focus when the temperatures drop and in the build-to Christmas, but they’re issues the council works incredibly hard to address on a year-round basis.
“Our housing service, for example, is especially effective at helping people avoid homelessness in the first place, while also working alongside local charities, churches and homelessness organisations to provide as much help as possible to rough sleepers.
“Building on the huge amount of work that takes place every day, the planned event at the Brangwyn again shows how committed we are to looking after people in our communities who are less fortunate than ourselves.
“Everyone deserves some happiness at Christmas, so we’re proud to be working in partnership with JR Events and Catering to support this event.”
Cllr Will Evans, Cabinet Member for Anti-Poverty and Communities, said: “In Swansea, we take a very pro-active approach throughout the year to homelessness prevention, with our Housing Options team always on hand to deal with any household facing difficulties including financial problems.
“Levels of rough sleeping are low in Swansea when compared with other cities, but we very regularly work with
Swansea’s rough sleepers to find suitable accommodation. This includes partnership work with a number of voluntary agencies to ensure all possible options are considered.
“If a member of the public does comes across a rough sleeper, then we’d urge them to pass this information onto Streetlink Cymru.”
Jessica Rice, of JR Events and Catering, said: “‘We’re privileged to work with several local charities throughout the year, and appreciate that homelessness continues to exist long after the Christmas tree has been taken down, but can you imagine a Christmas with no food, festivities, family or friends?
“This is the reality for some of Swansea’s most vulnerable people, so together with Swansea Council, we have launched ‘Together at Christmas”, which is an open invitation to homeless and vulnerable people to join us at the Brangwyn on December 20 to celebrate Christmas together. We want to make it a really special afternoon.
“At JR Events and Catering, we’re incredibly lucky to be in a position to be able to donate all food, drink and entertainment, with our wonderful team also giving their time for free at this event, which will help bring the city together.”
Contact Jessica on 01792 635253 or Jessica.Rice@jr-eventsandcatering.co.uk if you’d like to volunteer your time or services to help at the event, or if your business or organisation would like to be involved.
Housing Options are available on housing.options@swansea.gov.uk or 01792 533100.
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