Back after Christmas

Well we are back after our Christmas break. We would like to wish you all A Happy New Year and hope that many who are returning back to work today will have come back refreshed.Our last day in Ben’s Centre before we closed was our Christmas dinner. It was a very special dinner and although a sad time for many, the clients felt a sense of belonging and that they were loved and cared for. Wendy cooked a dinner which was so delicious and the clients were so appreciative. We gave them presents which all added to the sense of being cared about and remembered. For many this would be their only gift and many left their present unopened to open it on Christmas Day. Afterwards we turned on the Karaoke machine and we had a lovely time singing all the golden ‘oldies’, that even Sue could sing along to! One client was very reluctant to join in but eventually did and had the time of his life.

The staff often feels a mixture of emotions when we close the Centre as we are going back to warm homes and families but we know that clients left feeling loved and that we had done all that we could to provide a sense of belonging. As I said earlier Christmas is often a painful time bringing back memories of times when they had more stability and often relationships with loved ones so it can be difficult for us to pitch it at the right level for them to deal with. We can confidently say that we did.

We now await all the challenges running Ben’s Centre that the New Year will bring. We know that keeping Ben’s open is constantly a challenge. As a staff team we refuse to be defeated and we will continue to fight and give our precious clients a place of safety and stability.