Carers Festive Party 2025

What a truly joyful afternoon!

On Tuesday 9th December, we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Sutton, Councillor Louise Phelan, to our Christmas party, where Sutton Carers of all ages and their families came together to celebrate.

There was plenty of food, fun and festive cheer, with Santa (and his cheeky helper elf Sharlene!) making sure every Young Carer and their siblings received a special gift.

The Mayor even had the chance to find out whether she’d made the naughty or nice list… and we’re pleased to say it was all smiles!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the day so magical. 💙

Prep was a whole other thing! Festive décor included WOW balloon displays courtesy of Clarey Boppins Event Decorator Memory Maker  and our space gained additional sparkle with a donated tree from Tesco. Volunteer helpers from LexisNexis UK donated teddies & cards and decorated the Centre including creating our fantastic Grotto which was stocked with gifts courtesy of RWW plumbing and heating ltd. We were over the moon to welcome Eizabeth Powderham on behalf of Project Linus who dropped by with a boatload of beautifully handmade, strikingly designed quilts for our Young Carers.

After some settling in time, the Party kicked off with carols and festive songs led by amazing Catherine Pestano from Creative Croydon. Carers and staff joining in, some more hesitant than others, but virtually all new to singing, so it was quite something seeing everyone accomplish quite complex pieces and making beautiful music together!

There was lots of food and beautiful cupcakes donated by Free Cakes for Kids Sutton while we catch up and made new acquaintances, some in very festive outfits!

Our Young Carers room was set up with games galore, which overflowed to our Carers Kitchen with some serious Connect four going on, alongside a magical never ending queue to the fabulous Grotto, where a very patient Santa sat proudly in the handmade sleigh!

We finished the evening with a raffle assisted by Sutton Council Mayor Cllr Louise Phelan, assisted by a few volunteers including our Chair of Trustees Shade and Carer's Champion Cllr Paul Cole.

It was so wonderful see the joy on the faces of our Young Carers and other young family members having some time out and receiving their gifts, some opening and playing with them immediately.

Our farewells included sending Young Carers home with wonderful quilts donated by Eizabeth Powderham on behalf of Project Linus, a little bundles of comfort, stitched with so much love and gentleness. A heartfelt thank you to Liz and the whole Project Linus UK team whose kindness has given our Young Carers a soft place to land when things feel heavy.

We hope everyone enjoyed our festive celebration as much as we did and we look forward to seeing you in 2026.