Coventry Building Society Arena Brings Christmas Cheer to Vulnerable and lonely Guests in Heartwarming Event
Coventry Building Society Arena welcomed more than 200 people who may be alone, vulnerable or isolated this Christmas for a magical festive celebration.
One Day at Christmas, hosted at eight venues across the country, sees the UK events industry come together to provide a Christmas day experience for guests.
More than 2,000 guests attended events around the country and there are plans to expand the nationwide initiative to host more than 10,000 people in future.
It was the first year the event had been held at Coventry Building Society Arena and welcomed guests engaged in community groups and initiatives across Coventry.
Guests attended from organisations including Coventry Building Society’s friendship groups, Sky Blues in the Community, Saheli Group, Age UK Coventry & Warwickshire, Grapevine and Voluntary Action Coventry.
The day saw guests enjoy a three-course Christmas lunch, games, live entertainment and dancing – with Father Christmas also making a special guest appearance.
One Day at Christmas at Coventry Building Society Arena was supported by more than 40 volunteers who made the day possible alongside event organisers BtoB Events.
Coventry Building Society, through its friendship groups programme, led on curating the guest list, ensuring organisations across the city were represented.
Producer Paul, from Hits Radio West Midlands’ breakfast show, supported the festive party as host for the day.
Coventry and Warwickshire Gospel Choir kicked off the entertainment with Charlie Healy, who reached the finals of X Factor in 2011, closing the party with a live performance in the late afternoon.
Coventry and Warwickshire Gospel Choir
Sky Blues in the Community, Saheli Group, Age UK Coventry & Warwickshire, Grapevine and Voluntary Action Coventry
Peter Alexander, who lives just outside Coventry, Bero Bhandal, from Binley, and Chris Roddis, from Earlsdon, were guests on the day.
Chris Roddis, Peter Alexander, Bero Bhandal.
Bero said: “My favourite part of the day was joining in with the games, especially the bingo, and having a good laugh. If you’re at home and lonely, events like this give you the chance to meet other people – and they cheer everybody up too! Thank you to the Arena for inviting us.”
Peter added: “I came to the event to meet with my friends and have a good time. Events like this mean a lot. Everyone has got a story to tell; some happy and some not so happy. The spread of food and drink was great, and it’s good there was some dancing at the end to get the weight off!”
Chris said: “This was a chance to celebrate Christmas at what is not an easy time of year for everyone. It has been lovely to get together. It’s amazing what they have done to put the event on. It’s absolutely fantastic.”
Paul Michael, Managing Director at Coventry Building Society Arena, said: “When we set out organising this event, we had a goal to bring people together from communities all across Coventry and that is what we have been able to achieve.
“We took part in One Day at Christmas because we believed it was the right thing to do and, in collaboration with our event partners, we pulled out all the stops to make the day as special as possible.
“We hope everyone enjoyed the day. It was a joy to see so many smiling and happy faces, and we would like to wish all of the guests a Happy Christmas.”
To support One Day at Christmas and find out more about the annual event,