Do you bee-lieve you can make a difference this Christmas?
This year, as part of our Advent appeal, we’re asking how you will Bee There for others this Christmas.
Here, our director, Patrick, tells us more about what the festive season means to him…
How will you Bee There for others this Christmas?
At this time of year, I really feel the privilege of my role at Caritas and it’s a real joy to be able to spend time with our teams of staff and volunteers who are working over Christmas, helping to continue our services for people at a time of great need.
It’s also really important to highlight the nature of our work and so I’ll be speaking to local radio stations hoping to explain about what we do and why we’re needed now and year round in supporting people experiencing poverty, homeless and other forms of disadvantage.
The Advent appeal this year includes our bee characters in a special animation featuring television adverts. What would your TV advertising slogan or campaign be to help encourage people to #BeeThere this Christmas?
Remember the scene in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street, where the people of New York go around saying that they believe in Father Christmas…? I think I might borrow a little from that and rename it “Bee-lieve”! As well as linking to our own bee mascots, I’d want to emphasise our belief that there is a way to ending poverty, homelessness and disadvantage in Salford Diocese and in the UK as a whole.
As well as helping people, that’s also our job; to remind everyone that there is hope and solutions to ending the cycle of circumstances that trap people into poverty. We have to “Bee-lieve” and inspire people, not just at Christmas, to be compassionate to others, ensuring their dignity is protected and upheld.
What changes would you like to see to help people in your community this Christmas?
To be honest, there’s a lot on my list to Father Christmas this year about the types of bold changes that I think are really needed across our community to tackle poverty, homelessness and disadvantage! You may have seen our campaigns on lifting children out of poverty by ending the two-child benefit cap or increasing access to universal credit?
I’d also like to see an expansion in the amount of social housing so people have a safe affordable place to live. Also funding to provide proper support to help the underlying challenges for those experiencing the trauma of homelessness. Most of all, I would really like to invite people to be a lot kinder to one another.
Over summer we saw in our communities terrible violence and intimidation towards people who find themselves in the UK because they’re fleeing conflict, war and famine. As well as policies that promote a dignified welcome to people, I’d like to see changes in the attitudes and behaviours of people so that they’re more compassionate and kind, reflecting the true meaning of what Christmas is, brought about by a child born into the world who was quickly forced to flee as a refugee.
What is the true meaning of Christmas to you, and how will you put it into action this year?
For me, as a Catholic, Christmas reminds us that God entered the world in humility, as a small, defenceless baby, forced to find shelter in the poverty of a stable, quickly forced into exile fleeing violence and needing human love and protection. In doing so, he demonstrated the perfect example of love for all of humanity.
The true meaning of Christmas then is to do exactly that, put that love into action. It’s seems that this is needed now just as much as over 2,000 years ago so I hope, that with our amazing teams of staff and volunteers, I will be able to continue to do this, serving and supporting the communities of Greater Manchester and Lancashire, ending poverty, homelessness and promoting the innate dignity of all people.
If you’ve not yet seen our Bee There Advent appeal animation – you can watch it below now, and please donate if you can.
Every penny really does help us support more local people like those our teams work alongside in Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
Thank you.
To find out more about this year’s #BeeThere appeal, take a look at this page on our website: www.caritassalford.org.uk/beethere