Why there is always a Crisis at Christmas in our house

We first got involved with volunteering for Crisis at Christmas back in December 2012. I blame my husband as he suggested we sign up after his employer at the time (a large housing association) named them as their charity of choice. We thought we would give it a whirl and signed up for three days over that Christmas based in Hammersmith, London. Little did we know that 10 years later we would still be doing it.

So, every Christmas, we drive in from Aylesbury to West London and over the years we have done various roles from cleaning the loos, peeling sprouts, handing out clothes and serving up Christmas dinner. All helps to run a day centre that can see almost 350 guests arrive each day looked after about 150 volunteers. Not only do the guests get fed (breakfast, lunch and dinner), they can also have a shower, get a haircut, see a doctor, dentist or optician, get new clothes, seek advice, listen to music — to name just a few of the services provided — all delivered by volunteers.

Each year we meet up with a number of the same volunteers — some of whom have been part of Crisis for 30 plus years. And we often see the same guest faces who have become part of our Christmas holidays — this is bittersweet as it is great to see them again and know they are OK but so sad that they are still homeless and in need of a friendly face and a hot meal over the holidays.

For those of you who don’t know what Crisis do, then here is what they aim for every year:

· provide accommodation to people (guests) who are experiencing rough sleeping and other dangerous forms of accommodation over the Christmas period

· improve the housing situation of people who are experiencing homelessness and are accommodated by Crisis

· support people experiencing homelessness to access the support they need during the Christmas period

· link people experiencing homelessness into year-round services to access the support they need

Crisis is a great charity to be involved with and I would definitely recommend volunteering with them, even if it is only once! To find out more or if you want to donate to Crisis at Christmas check out their website here: www.crisis.org.uk

Rachel Prance, Communications Manager (News and Content)