Town Council coordinates togetherness on Christmas Day

04/01/2023

A group of community-minded volunteers and the Town Council team coordinated an opportunity for those that would otherwise be alone at Christmas to come together on Christmas Day.

As well as Christmas carols from the Ivybridge Salvation Army, a festive food spread was put on in The Watermark, Ivybridge by volunteers who gave up their own Christmas day to spend time with others.

For those that weren’t able to attend, the Town Council team coordinated volunteers to deliver gift bags packed with festive food treats to those at home, and even included a cracker so the volunteer could share a bit of festive fun on the doorstep.

This would not have been possible without the support of over 25 volunteers, they all deserve a huge thanks for what they did to bring joy to others. Thanks also go to the Mayor Cllr Sara Hladkij, Town Cllr Ray Wilson and SHDC Cllr Louise Jones and their families who also helped out on the day.

Over 60 residents benefited from the activity, most otherwise may not have seen anyone on Christmas Day.

The food and hampers were funded with generous support from South Hams District Council Cllr Karen Pringle and the Sustainable Communities Fund and a kind donation from the Erme Lodge Freemasons. Other donations were received in kind from R D Johns Foodservice, MJ Baker Foodservice Ltd, Caterfood SW LTD, the Co-op Ivybridge and Diamond Disposables.

The Town Council staff time was provided to coordinate in advance, and the Town Council's ‘The Watermark’ facility was used to host the event.