This year, Plymouth Community Homes has supported and organised a whole host of festive events to help our residents and the local community get in the Christmas spirit.
We started our celebrations with a Charity Christmas Craft Fair at The Beacon on 18 November, raising an impressive £537.30 for our Charity of the Year, the Plymouth Branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND Association).
The Craft Fair was joined by 13 stalls from small businesses across the city, and there was even a visit from Santa and his Elf, giving out presents to children.
Dozens of delighted faces lit up an Efford Christmas Extravaganza on 22 November as PCH staff teamed up with High View School, the Efford Community Network and other local partners to provide festive fun, Grottos, giveaways, and a touch of Wham.
Donna Vickers, from our Environmental Services Team, said: "It was a real pleasure once again to have the chance to participate in such an amazing festive event. The atmosphere was lovely and it really brings the community together. It’s great that the pre-loved toys find a loving new home. The children were very excited with the wide choice of toys, and it was lovely to see the big smiles when they were walking away with bagfuls of toys and Christmas decorations."
The winners of our resident and staff Christmas card competition were announced ahead of our Christmas Light Switch On which took place on 24 November.
Pawel (age 12) and Nolan (age 8) designed the PCH Christmas card for 2023 and they jointly pressed the giant plunger, lighting up our Christmas conifer which has become a regular feature for those who pass Plumer House.
The festive spirit was in full swing as residents, staff and families gathered to celebrate the holiday season with sparklers and hot chocolates.
On 7 December, our staff took part in Christmas Jumper Day, raising over £100 for Save the Children.
Every December, millions of people across the United Kingdom (and beyond!) put on a festive knit at their workplace, school or with friends and make a donation to help give children the magical future they deserve.
Christmas Jumper Day has raised over £35 million for children in the UK and around the world since it began in 2012!
On 11 December, our Housing Teams were at Four Woods Children's Centre in West Park hosting a Toy Giveaway for our residents in the local area.
Santa and his Elves paid a visit to the Toy Giveaway, and children (and adults!) were delighted to see him.
We would like to thank AWL, L&J Electrical Services Ltd, RTJ Martin Ltd, Barnardo's Plymouth, Jackson and Plymouth Ariel Services for their support.
The Beacon Coffee House and Café were selling delicious Christmas dinners and festive baguettes from 12 – 14 December. They were greatly enjoyed by those who were able to grab one both in the café or on the go.
The Janner Men's Shed also hosted their annual Christmas gathering at Leigham Community Hall on 12 December.
The members enjoyed a festive Christmas lunch which was supported by our Communities team and they also held a raffle with exciting prizes.
They were joined by Gill Martin, Director of Corporate Services and Louise Turner, Head of Property, Safety & Environmental Services who were given a warm welcome by the 'Shedders'.
On 14 December, Residents at Belmont Court and Ron King House took part in a Christmas sing-along at their festive 'Chrisjingle' events.
They were joined by retired Reverend Roger Williams who volunteered to play the jingles on the piano on behalf of Timebank South West to spread some festive cheer.
We hosted our annual Christmas party on 18 December in collaboration with Beacon Social Group who created a wonderful Santa’s Grotto complete with a cheery Santa and a free present for children to enjoy.
The event was a huge success with various activities, including face painting, a toy giveaway, a craft table, a raffle, and refreshments. Thank you to Plymouth Play Scrapstore, Livewell Southwest, Cher's Funky Faces and Devon & Cornwall Police for helping to make the event a success.
Our residents also enjoyed festive wreath making classes on throughout December spreading Christmas joy within the community.
PCH has donated much needed funds to six local charities and community organisations across Plymouth and the surrounding areas this Christmas.
Jonathan Cowie paid a visit to Provide Devon and Age UK Plymouth, to meet with their staff and find out how important donations are to allow them to keep up with demand as people and families continue to be affected by financial and food hardships.
