The Cardiff Christmas Dinner 2023

Last year, a group of hosts in and around Cardiff, some from CASCADE, worked together to provide Christmas dinner and a celebration for care-experienced people. The team were filled with nerves ahead of the big day, with referrals still coming in up to the week before Christmas. A chef volunteered three days of their time to make sure dinner was cooked to perfection, with food donated from Milk and Sugar, the Principality Stadium, and residents in the community. 

After a welcome message from First Minister Mark Drakeford, everyone tucked into dinner. The food was so good most people went back for a second helping. After dinner, guests were presented with hand picked gifts from a local elf and were able to pick a handmade quilt provided by Quilts for Care Leavers. There were very few dry eyes in the room.

It can only work if people get involved. Last year, volunteers came from all different backgrounds, and of all ages. If you are interested in volunteering, you can fill out this form so we can match your skills and availability to the work. You don’t need to be available on the day, there are plenty of things to do before the big day.

The volunteers are raising money for the event, with funds raised being managed by the registered charity Voices from Care. They are also on the look-out for high-quality gifts and decorations for the event.

This conference is being run by Exchange Wales if you have any questions, please contact the event team.