Be part of The Manchester Christmas Dinner Steering Group
18 Aug 2025
Bring your ideas and planning skills to help make a real difference to young care leavers who would otherwise be alone at Christmas.
What is the Manchester Christmas Dinner?
The Manchester Christmas Dinner is an annual project founded in 2013 by Lemn Sissay OBE. It started as one dinner in Manchester and has grown into a UK wide movement, through the Gold from the Stone Foundation.
Since 2013, the vision remains the same - that no Care Leaver aged 18 to 25 years feels alone on Christmas Day.
What does the Steering Group do?
Manchester Christmas Dinner doesn’t happen without the Steering Group.
The Steering Group oversee the planning and delivery for the event in the lead-up and support fundraising and awareness activities. They can also support the event on Christmas Day itself, if they wish.
Last year, the Steering Group organised a wonderous Christmas Day for over 50 guests at Woolton Hall. Along with the Christmas dinner of course, there was entertainment across the day and, each guest also received a selection of gifts to take home, along with a food hamper. The Steering Group also worked to organise fundraising activities in the lead-up, totalling an incredible £4,600.
Get involved
The Steering Group meet every other week from September to December (then weekly in that last month) to organise the event. We meet from 6-7pm at AMBS.
The first meeting this year will be on Tuesday 2 September, then fortnightly thereafter.
Do not worry if you are unable to make the first meeting (or every meeting!) We always need new people to join the Group and bring fresh ideas.
- If you are interested in getting involved, please email mcr@thechristmasdinner.org.uk
Please note, you don’t have to be available for Christmas Day.
Being part of the Steering Group is very rewarding and, you will be making a real difference to young care leavers who would otherwise be alone at Christmas.