Held at the De Grey Rooms, and attended by the Lord Mayor of York and Civic Party, the Shimmer and Shine Club party brought together over 80 older and younger people from across the city for an afternoon of festive fun.
Guests enjoyed music from The Belfrey Choir and Nestle’s Joe Cheney, barn dancing led by Strictly Fun Dancing’s Phil Quin and festive crafts with Dandelion Arts. The University of York’s Campus Kitchen kindly provided a buffet for attendees to enjoy.
The event aimed to address loneliness and isolation in York, where a 2020 national survey revealed that 25.7% of York residents feel lonely at least some of the time. By fostering shared experiences and connections, the Shimmer and Shine Club encouraged a sense of belonging and community.
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Employee volunteers from Benenden Health, Nestle and Portakabin all gave their time, with Aviva, Blakemore Foundation, Greggs, Millers Food Service, Tony’s Chocoloney, Nestle, and the University of York’s Campus Kitchen contributing food, drinks, and sweet treats.
Georgia Gibbons, Interim Operations Manager at York Cares said: “We’ve been truly inspired by the generosity of our members and local businesses, who have gone above and beyond to make a meaningful difference this Christmas.
“Our Shimmer and Shine Festive Social Club brought together people from across the city at a time when feelings of loneliness and isolation can be heightened. This joyful celebration was made possible by the willingness of our employee-volunteers, and the goodwill of businesses who donated food, drinks and sweet treats.”
Jessie Hendry Gooding, Social Transformation Manager at the Belfrey, said: “The Belfrey was delighted to host the York Cares annual Shimmer and Shine party once again, in our beautiful temporary venue at the De Grey Rooms in York.
“This festive celebration was a wonderful example of the community coming together to spread joy and combat social isolation during the Christmas season. “
The York Cares Christmas Collection attracted 2,400 donations from local firms and included food and hygiene products, plus children’s gifts.
Businesses who donated gifts included Aviva, Benenden Health, City of York Council, ETAS, Fera Science Ltd, Little Green Rascals Minster Yard, Nestle, Novotel Centre York, Portakabin, The Insurance Emporium, University of York and York St John University.
The gifts were distributed to 13 local charities, including IDAS, Door84, The Peasholme Centre, Refugee Action York and Spirit of Christmas.
Established in 2005 and set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2025, York Cares is an employee-volunteering charity bringing businesses, employees, and communities together to make the city of York a better place to live and work.
For more information on the work York Cares carries out, or to volunteer go to www.yorkcares.co.uk
