Derby City Council launches ‘A New Kind(er) Christmas’

Published: 30 November 2020

Things have been more than a little different in 2020 and it will be a very different kind of Christmas too. Although the end may now be in sight, over the next few weeks, with Derby in Tier 3, many of us still won’t be travelling as much to visit friends and relatives but that doesn’t mean we need to be short of Christmas spirit.

Along with our partners, we’re launching a ‘A New Kind(er) Christmas’ to encourage everyone in Derby to take a moment to think about their neighbours and those who may need a little bit of help.

We all have neighbours and they don’t have to be elderly or look vulnerable to be struggling, you can’t see loneliness or mental health issues, so whomever your neighbour is, please take a moment to see if they are ok or need anything?

Of course, that may be easier said than done, so, to help you we’ve created a Season’s Greetings card for every house in the city, which you’ll receive in the post, with a simple suggestion. Fill in the card with your name and a preferred contact method and an offer and pop one through the door to introduce yourself.

Your offer can be as big or as small as you want. It may be as a simple as offering to listen, it may be to collect some shopping or pick up an extra bit with your shopping. You may even want to make an extra Christmas dinner for someone you know will be alone. With the long winter ahead, it may be a worrying time for a lot of citizens so that reassurance may make all the difference.

We’d also love you to share your stories of Christmas acts of kindness, of neighbourhood friendships and work in the community tagging #kinderchristmas @DerbyCC. Perhaps you could make an extra Christmas dinner, buy an extra present, or just taking 15minutes to make a phone call and a chat.

If you’d like to get involved but there is no one directly in your street then get in touch with the Community Hub on 01332 640000 and we’ll do our best to connect you up to someone who will really appreciate your support.

Let’s Do the Right Thing for Derby and aim to have no one on their own this Christmas.

Cllr Roy Webb, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Housing said:

The sending of Christmas cards may have gone a bit out of fashion in recent years, and I include myself in that too, as for the past few years, I’ve donated the money I would spend on Christmas cards to charity. This year there are more worthy causes than ever before, both locally and further afield you may wish to consider.

But for those of you who have received this card, we’d love for you to use them to show your neighbours that you are thinking of them through this very difficult time and I think they will provide a great deal of comfort to those receiving them, especially if they are not expected.

Let’s see that Christmas spirit of friendship, kindness and giving spread through all our Neighbourhoods and community so we can make this a most memorable Christmas for the right reasons.

The citizens of Derby have shown time and again their willingness to go the extra mile for each other throughout the pandemic and we need to continue to pull together to help see us through winter.

Community