Young people in Leys invited to Christmas lunch

Volunteers from the Leys Community Development Initiative will be holding a Christmas lunch for any young person away from home this Christmas.

The lunch is the first of its kind for young people in Blackbird Leys, and organisers are looking for donations of food, sweets, decorations and money to make sure the day is a success.

Development manager Marsha Jackson said: “We wanted to create a space for young people. You don’t know who has got family and who hasn’t, but there might be young people who live in care, or teenage mums on their own and it’s somewhere safe for them to go.

“Life can be very isolating, but if they come there will be someone to talk to, they can chill out, play games and have some fun and just be around people.

“It will be a caring environment and somewhere for them to celebrate.”

The Glow Hall at Blackbird Leys Community Centre, in Blackbird Leys Road, will be decked out with decorations and a Christmas tree for the event.

There will also be films, video games and space for people aged up to 25 to meet other young people.

A team of 12 volunteers will prepare a festive buffet including traditional turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies and other dishes.

Miss Jackson, who is expecting about 100 people at the event, said she enjoyed giving back to her community at this time of year.

She said: “Our volunteers will be bringing their own dishes.

“We are cooking a little bit from all over to represent Blackbird Leys. It’s part of caring and giving something back to the community.

“I like sharing my day. I have three children but they are used to me doing this kind of stuff for years now.”

The team has already received mince pies from Waitrose, £10 from Marks & Spencer, £10 from Sainsbury and £500 from housing association OCHA.

The event runs from 1pm to 9pm. Donations can be dropp-ed off at the hall between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

If you would like lunch, call Ms Jackson on 01865 395927.