Creating Moments of Belonging: The Brighton & Hove Care Leavers Christmas Dinner

Bringing people together to make Christmas Day something special for young adults leaving care.

This year, I have been working alongside a growing community of care experienced people, foster carers, volunteers, neighbours and local organisations to bring back the Brighton & Hove Care Leavers Christmas Dinner, for the first time in seven years.

For many young people leaving foster care or children's homes, the transition into adulthood can come with a sudden loss of support and connection. Christmas can make those absences particularly felt.

But this isn't simply about providing a meal. It's about creating a day filled with warmth, celebration, laughter and the possibility of connection. Somewhere people can come together, feel welcomed and experience a sense of belonging.

We've been deeply moved by the generosity and creativity emerging around the project. From running the Worthing Half Marathon and swimming Pier-to-Pier, to local businesses offering support and volunteers bringing their own ideas, it's becoming something much bigger than any one of us.

We're now launching 50 Fairies in 50 Days, inviting 50 people to raise £50 each in whatever creative ways they choose, helping us make Christmas Day something really special.

For me, this work is also part of a wider question I've been exploring personally and professionally: What does care look and feel like when it becomes something we create together?

Sometimes it begins with a simple invitation, a shared meal, or someone saying, "I'd love to help."

And from there, something begins to grow.