CHANGING THE FORMAT FOR 2021
Naturally, it is with great regret that we cannot hold a true Community Christmas
Thame this year due to COVD-19. We would not want to be putting vulnerable
people at risk so we are changing the format for 2021. At this stage, we believe we will be able to deliver meals to those people who are
at risk of being alone on Christmas Day so therefore we will still be looking for
volunteers to help us with this. Most likely the day will go a little like this:
Depending on current government guidelines, we will need volunteers to peel
carrots and potatoes, prepare vegetables etc. This activity has
previously been held at the Thomas household and so we would like to think this
can happen again, but it will depend on what restrictions are in place at the time. If not, we may ask volunteers to collect the vegetables and peel/chop them at
home and drop them back to Queens Close for cooking. On Christmas Day morning, we will be preparing plates of food for anyone who
has requested a Christmas Day meal. We will most likely be asking volunteers to
collect a couple of meals (again from Queens Close) and deliver them to our
guests with a gift and a cracker. We will open up a registration form for anyone you know who may want this
service. CCT is lucky to have been supported by
many local businesses over the years and we are able to offer this absolutely free
of charge. Amazing! We are expecting a slightly higher volume of deliveries than other years as there
may be many more people who have been identified as being vulnerable and
isolated. This is not restricted to just the elderly population of Thame – it
includes all ages. We do not want to see ANYONE alone or lonely on Christmas
Day, so make sure that your neighbours know about us, whatever their age! We will be doing a full risk assessment and all volunteers will have access to
gloves and masks, if required, on the day. All gifts will be wrapped in advance
and kept for a minimum of 72 hours to reduce contamination. CCT will be
following all current guidelines to avoid exposing anyone, volunteers and
“guests” to unnecessary risk of catching COVID-19. Do not be surprised if we have to ask volunteers to check their temperatures on
the day and obviously to phone and inform us if anyone, or anyone they have
been in contact with, has the symptoms of the virus.
