Christmas stories - Sylvia & Alison

86-year-old Sylvia has joined us on Christmas Day for the past two years.

“I couldn’t do without it, I really couldn’t! Although I could have gone to my son’s, it would have been more difficult getting there and back, so, without an invitation from Marmalade Trust, I might have spent the day by myself”. 

Sylvia was referred to us by her friend Alison, whose father-in-law used to work with Sylvia’s late husband years ago. “I knew about Marmalade because my daughter had been a volunteer driver for the past few Christmases and loved the experience. When I heard Sylvia might be on her own at Christmas, I suggested the lunch and offered to drive her there.” 

Sylvia loved having Alison support her, it helped her feel confident as she can’t leave the house without help. “I loved having her there, and Marmalade made sure the venue I went to was disability friendly, so I didn’t have to worry about anything. I had a lovely day!”.

As a driving volunteer, Alison kindly took Sylvia to and from the venue. “It worked really well because I was able to support Sylvia, as well as popping back to my daughter’s house in-between to enjoy our family Christmas meal. I’d love to do it again next year!”

Interested in volunteering? We’re hoping to be able to host more guests next Christmas, which means we’ll need even more wonderful volunteers to help everything run smoothly.  Whether you’re interested in driving a guest, being a smiley host at an event, or even helping to organise a venue, we’d love to hear from you. Thank you!