Sara has served Christmas dinner for 40 elderly people at the fire station where she’s based since 2013. She was inspired to act after being sent on a call to an elderly man just days before Christmas 2012 and learning he had no relatives to share Christmas dinner with.
Upset by the encounter, she approached her manager to ask whether they could use the station’s community rooms the following year and a tradition was born.
Colleagues put forward the names of people they’d like to invite and Sara asks local businesses and community groups to donate food, gifts and money for the event.
Paramedics and firefighters help on the day, peeling vegetables, decorating the room and wrapping presents before serving dinner and playing bingo with their guests. One member of the crew even dresses up as Santa to deliver presents.
Sara was delighted to be nominated for the Community Champion award. She said: “So many emergency service staff are on duty at Christmas and it’s great to get them involved in the dinner. My mum Flo and son James help out and, last year, James said it was the best Christmas Day he’d ever had.
“I keep on fundraising to host the dinners because after seeing how much the guests enjoy it I couldn’t not do it again!”
We were proud to have Sara as a finalist at our awards this year and wish her team a Merry Christmas.
At Amplifon we look after Blue Light card holders, giving hearing aid discounts to the emergency services staff, contact us to find out more.
