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Why Christmas Cheer matters
- Gunjan Jain
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Christmas often brings a lot of noise, movement, and expectation. For Marmalade Trust, it’s also a time when we think about the people who might otherwise be spending the day alone.
That might be someone who lives alone, someone far from home, someone whose plans fell through, or someone missing a person who used to be there. For many of them, connection during the year comes from everyday moments, seeing familiar faces at work, chatting to neighbours, going to a regular class or group, or simply having somewhere to be. Around Christmas, many of those small points of contact disappear. Places close, people travel, routines stop, and the days can feel longer and lonelier than usual.
That’s why Christmas Cheer exists.
Each year, Marmalade Trust brings people together on Christmas Day so no one has to spend it alone unless they choose to. Sometimes that means sharing a Christmas lunch. Other times, it means a volunteer on a doorstep with a gift hamper and a few minutes of company for someone who can’t travel, even with support.
Thirteen years ago, our CEO and Founder Amy Perrin OBE was volunteering on Christmas Day with people who would otherwise have been alone. Seeing how many others were in the same situation, she took 17 people out for lunch. Christmas Cheer grew from there, and it is still shaped by moments like the ones shared below.
One project member who joined us for Christmas lunch said:
“I have just come back from the Xmas Day lunch at the Millhouse and I just wanted to say in Bristolian dialect… A great big fat thank you for including me in the event.
It meant the absolute world to me, the venue, the food, the driver and volunteers, especially Melissa and David, very lovely people. And it was fantastic, awesome even, to have the quiz afterwards as well. Again, I cannot thank Marmalade enough.”
Another project member who received a doorstep visit said:
“The trainee paramedics and the visitors on Christmas Day were all so personable. They really lifted my spirits.
Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved, and to your volunteers for the time and effort they put into helping me and others through a very difficult time. Thank you all, and a happy New Year.”
Christmas Cheer is not only about the people we support. It is also about the people who show up. Many volunteers come to us because loneliness feels familiar to them too. Some are navigating it quietly, others simply want to spend the day doing something meaningful.
As one volunteer shared before Christmas Day:
“I’ll be on my own at Christmas too, and it feels good to spend the day doing something useful for others.”
Thank you to our partners
Christmas Cheer exists because people choose to show up in different ways, all with the same intention, to make sure no one feels forgotten at Christmas. It takes place on one day, but it is built over many weeks.
Behind Christmas Day are months of planning, packing, coordinating, fundraising, and checking in, making sure every person is thought about and every detail is handled with care.
In 2025, we supported more than 250 project members experiencing loneliness, with the help of over 180 volunteers giving their time and energy. Some joined us for Christmas lunch, while others received doorstep visits, making sure connection reached people wherever they were.
That level of care does not happen without support coming from many directions.
Thank you to all the businesses, community groups, and individuals who fundraised, donated, volunteered, offered spaces, and helped spread the word in different ways. Without you we could not have made this project possible - here’s to you:
Brakes, whose team volunteered their time to leaflet across Bristol
HMRC, who organised a Christmas carol service and bake sale
Bristol Junior Chamber, who fundraised at their Christmas party
Eleni from Be Dating Beautiful, who hosted a Fun Run
Eva and the Langton Pub, who supported through the Langton Winter Festival
Elaine Milne, who personally bought and delivered gifts to Connections members
JS Reakes Ltd, Heineken, Cherry Tree Preserves, Tingdene, GWP, True Start Coffee, Lily O’Brien’s, Pieminister, Bristol Soap Company, and Vital Seeds, who supported the project through generous in-kind donations
Pure Radio, who donated 100 Classic Mini Radios to be given to doorstep visit members, many of whom live alone, so they could enjoy moments of connection through listening to the radio whenever they wished
Checkmate, Sky Store, Integrated Water Services, and Embridge Consulting, whose teams volunteered their time to help wrap gift hampers
University of the West of England, whose student paramedics supported gift hamper wrapping and doorstep deliveries, offering a thoughtful reminder to project members that they were being thought of and cared for during the festive season
Sky Vans, who helped transport gifts between venues and ensure everything arrived where it was needed
Tesco, ASDA Filton, Iceland, and Children’s Scrap Store, who supported with essential wrapping materials, supplies, and handmade items that helped bring every gift together
We wish you all a wonderful 2026.
If you are able to donate, your support helps make projects like Christmas Cheer possible, making sure we are there when connection is needed most.
Learning about loneliness, one small act at a time
Local schools and learning centres also supported Christmas Cheer this year by helping students create handmade Christmas cards, bookmarks, and messages for people spending Christmas alone. Alongside this, teachers and staff used the activity as a chance to talk with students about loneliness, kindness, and the importance of connection across generations.
Thank you to the schools and learning centres who took part, including:
St Michael’s Primary School
Leaf Trust Magntosfield
Leaf Trust Cadbury Heath Primary School
Saltford Primary School
Holymead Primary School
Hamilton’s Pre-School
Lucy Severn Beach
Willow Park
Hannah More Primary School
Liz Chapple Adult Learning South Gloucestershire
Fosseway Alternative Provision
Birdwell Connection Cards
If you work with schools, we have a new project coming up in 2026 that helps build understanding around loneliness among children and young people through age-appropriate conversations and practical tools.
If you’d like to be involved, email Alice Cunningham, Training and Education Manager at alicecunningham@marmaladetrust.org
Businesses helped bring Christmas Cheer
A new way organisations could support Christmas Cheer in 2025 was by placing gift donation boxes in their offices, giving teams a simple, shared way to donate something thoughtful for someone spending Christmas alone.
It was the first year we ran this initiative, and we were really grateful for the response. Organisations showed up with large collections of gifts, brought together by colleagues who wanted to help.
Workplaces that took part in gift collections included:
Bristol Water
AND Digital
Alexander Mae Recruitment
Long Ashton Community Centre
The Hill Group
St Nix
Indigo Food Group
Checkmate
Strike Communications
Integrated Water Services
Cabot Circus, who also included Marmalade Trust in their Christmas Giving Tree
Your generosity reached far beyond Christmas Cheer
In total, more than 17,000 gifts were received, including contributions from corporate gift donation boxes and direct donations. From books, puzzles, candles and radios to chocolates, cosy items and other small comforts.
There were so many that the remaining gifts were donated to Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity, helping bring comfort and festive cheer to children spending Christmas in hospital.
They said:
“On behalf of The Grand Appeal, thank you for your generous donation of books, puzzles and knitted stockings for Bristol Children’s Hospital this Christmas. Spending time in hospital is especially difficult at Christmas.
Your generosity brought comfort, distraction and festive cheer to patients and their families, including children undergoing long and difficult treatments. Thank you again for helping make Christmas sparkle for children in hospital.”
If you or your organisation would like to take part in Christmas Cheer in the future, you can sign up to our newsletter to hear when opportunities like this open up.
Getting to know the people at the heart of Christmas Cheer
Hearing how the day felt for the people who benefit from Christmas Cheer is the highlight for many of us, so this year we spent extra time with two project members to get to know them and find out more about the difference Christmas Cheer has made to them.
We chatted to Kevin, 70, who has been part of Christmas Cheer for five years, and Margaret, 73, who has been joining our Christmas lunches for eight years about their lives, what day-to-day loneliness looks like, and why moments of connection matter.
Both Kevin and Margaret live alone and while their lives look very different, they shared with us what connection at Christmas means to them in their own ways.
Looking ahead to 2026
As we close the chapter on Christmas Cheer 2025, we are already looking ahead to 2026 and to bringing more people together than ever before.
Marmalade Trust supports people experiencing loneliness throughout the year through our projects and campaigns, including Loneliness Awareness Week, a global campaign taking place from 15–21 June 2026, with people from all over the world getting involved. You can visit our page to find out how to take part.
Your support helps make this work possible. Every donation helps continue this work into 2026 and beyond.
Thank you for being part of Christmas Cheer, and for helping people feel a little less alone.
