LDDS Christmas Party

Our Learning Disability Day Service hosted a wonderful Christmas party! Carmen Gillon-Weerasinghe, manager of LDDS, said:

I started planning the party in September 2024 and checked who would like to attend as I had a lot of enquiries about having a Christmas party.

On the day people we support started to arrive directly to Sunnybank Community Centre. We had previously arranged with transport services to support them to come.

Everyone had a hot drink and then DJ Macc started the music with some classic Christmas songs to get everyone in the mood. We had elves, reindeer, and a live singer who got everyone singing and dancing away. Everyone enjoyed the food, which we had a variety to choose from: turkey stuffing sandwiches, carrot and butternut squash soup, and a veggie stew - with lots of crisps and minced pies.

We had a visit from Santa after lunch which was the highlight of the day. Santa walked around and said hello to everyone with a firm handshake. He brought a gift to every person we supported who attended the party with the help of his elves.

Then in the afternoon DJ Macc played a mix of 80’s classics and more Christmas songs with everyone on their feet dancing away.

Staff teams across the day services supported immensely to make the party a huge success. I can't thank you all enough.‘

Scroll down for some pictures of the day & to hear what people thought of the day.

What did people have to say about the day?

• ‘What a great day for the people supported, the smiles on their faces said it all. They all laughed and danced the day away, It allowed everyone to catch up with friends both past and present. Magical day had by all.'

• ‘Feedback was that everyone loved it and they loved Santa being there and getting a gift. Seeing their faces light up was brill. They enjoyed the dancing and being with other people from other parts of the service.’

• ‘P enjoyed it and is still talking about it today, he said he loved seeing everyone he's not seen in a while, and enjoyed the singing and DJ. He thinks everyone had a good time.’

• ‘R was soooooo excited to see Santa!!! He was in awe of Santa .T and El really enjoyed catching up with other people they spent time with in the past. K said she had had a good time.’

• ‘Everyone from our centre had a good time, Especially S, J and N.  All liked it for different reasons, seeing people they hadn't seen for a while, A enjoyed seeing people she knew from the past ! People loved the disco, and food. Bring on the party 2025!'

• A parent who supported their daughter to the party said ‘Thank you and all your staff for a lovely day.’