University staff reach out at Christmas

Posted on 22 December 2015

Members of University of York staff have been helping to spread good cheer this festive season.

Spreading the festive cheer this Christmas.

They have supported a Christmas initiative by York Cares, the local charity committed to making the city a better place through volunteering. York Cares recruits teams of employee volunteers in December to run festive parties for elderly residents in local homes or sheltered housing, or by collecting gifts for charities and hostels supporting young homeless or unemployed people.

The Departments of Economics, Human Resources, Finance and Careers, as well as York Science Park and the Biorenewables Development Centre, have organised collections for homeless and resettlement charities, Projects Foundation UK, Arclight, Howe Hill Hostel, The Peasholme Centre, and The Scarcroft Project. The gifts and items collected will bring some festive cheer to 185 of York's residents in need.

A particular highlight was a Christmas party organised for young care leavers on the Springboard Project with food donated by Tesco and lunch cooked and served by University of York chefs, Neil Grant and Ian Dickson. The young people also each received a present for Christmas, collected by employees from Aviva, Careers at the University of York and York Marriott Hotel.

Helen Illman, from York Cares, said: "Our two University chefs, Neil and Ian, were absolutely fantastic at engaging the young people and brightening up their day. Christmas can be a very difficult time for young care leavers who may not have families to see over the holidays. By cooking them a meal to share together, the Chefs reminded them that they have many people who care about them.”