On Thursday 14th December 2023, the Community Action Team at St Christopher’s hosted a Winter Celebration at CARE, our Centre for Awareness and Response to End of Life.
Over 100 people braved the cold December afternoon to come together to our annual Winter Celebration in CARE (Centre for Awareness and Response to End of Life). We were joined by people across our five boroughs (Croydon, Lewisham, Bromley, Lambeth, and Southwark), for some live music, food, and lots of mulled wine! Many of our guests are a part of our various projects and programmes, such as Compassionate Neighbours, Bereavement Buddies and Coach 4 Care.

We had the pleasure of listening to a fantastic brass band from a local school, Our Lady and St Philip Neri Primary in Sydenham, who lit up the room with their rousing versions of some classic songs including Stand by Me and Jingle Bells.
As well as enjoying some music and seasonal food and drink, the afternoon offered arts activities for people to get involved in: from making your own mini cardboard Christmas trees and adding thoughts and reflections to our Winter Wishing and Memory tree, to making clay prints using leaves and plants gathered from our local Crystal Palace Park.

We reflected on what the winter means to each of us, on memories of the year that is ending, and wishes and hopes for the new year. Together we felt the warmth of connection and the strength of collective feeling and action.
Our celebration was about the power of community: each person who attended was invited because they are part of a wider community acting to connect with and care about others. For some that connection may come through the loss of a loved one. For others it is an opportunity to meet new people or let our community know we care about them. Whether we have similar or differing experiences, we know that there is power in sharing them together and supporting each other.
If you want to get involved, or find out more about our Community Action projects and programmes, take a look at our website: Community action – St Christopher’s Hospice (stchristophers.org.uk)
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