I'm stepping up my fundraising and will be doing a 24 hour non stop bakeathon! Cakes, brownies, cookies- you name it, I'll bake it! 

Please sponsor me- you might get some gingerbread in the post!  ;) 

I volunteer for the fantastic charity 'Contact The Elderly', which organises monthly tea parties for isolated older people throughout the country. One of our local groups realised that there were a lot of members who were alone on Christmas Day and set up 'Marmalade'. Now in it's third year, and growing at an amazing speed, 'Marmalade' is organising three lunch parties in restaurants across Bristol, so that over 60 older people will have company on Christmas Day. 

Those 60 elderly people now have something enjoyable to look forward to, they can feel part of the Christmas season. They will have a proper cooked lunch, a gift and most importantly a laugh!

I will be driving some guests to one of the parties and would really appreciate any donation to support this wonderful event.

I know Christmas is an expensive season but please remember what Christmas is really about- not the mountains of food or gifts under the tree- it is a time for love and celebrating family. But unfortunately not everyone in our community has that. This was made very clear by one lovely lady during our tea party at the weekend. I asked her if she had any plans that she was looking forward to, any clubs or groups? Greta replied that the Sainsbury's free bus should be coming around Monday so that she could go shopping, that it hadn't come the previously week but she hoped it would this time. This was said calmly and without any wish to gather sympathy, it was simply the truth and she was used to it. Can you imagine that being the only time you interacted with other people, the only time you left your house? It broke my heart and upsets me writing it now.

If you would like to volunteer or would like any further information please go to the following websites:

http://www.marmaladetrust.org/previous-marmalade-events/christmas-lunch-2014.aspx

http://www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk/

Thank you,

Lucinda

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