Community Transport Christmas: Community Car Service

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Every year Community Car Service provides a festive lunch for our customers with all the trimmings helping to stop loneliness and isolation. They always have a lovely time with the whole afternoon filled with chatter and laughter as they make new friends and meet up with a few they already know; you could be forgiven for thinking that no one there is lonely!

Sadly, this just isn’t true, we always do a survey at the end of the day and one of the questions is when did you last go out for a Christmas lunch/dinner including with family or friends? Last year it was 43% had not been out for a Christmas lunch for more than three years.  This year it is 47%.

When you talk to people and ask them what they will be doing on Christmas day they normally reply, “I will have something on toast and of course I look forward to watching the queen.”  I think it is safe to assume that a large percentage of people that live on their own will not bother to cook themselves a Christmas dinner.  Without the Community Car Service these people would not have had the opportunity to have a special meal to celebrate Christmas, no special afternoon full of fun and laughter, no wearing a silly hat or telling the cracker joke to the person next to them, no meeting new people or making new friends. Just another lonely day inside their homes not saying a word to anyone.

One lady told me last year that when she got home she was opening her one present under her tree, I replied “naughty it’s not Christmas day yet” she said “no it isn’t but I have had a wonderful time with a lovely food and lots of nice people.  Today has been special and I’m going to finish it with my present and a small glass of Bailey’s, Christmas day is just another day to me, you young lady do not realize what a difference you make to us oldies you’re an angel.” Therefore, if anyone wants me I will be polishing my halo ready to get the funding in for our next social inclusion project. Merry Christmas everyone!