When Zoe Hadfield signed up to volunteer for Samaritans Christmas Lunch in the Park, it was to avoid feeling lonely during the festive season.
That was nine years ago.
Since then, she’s attended every Christmas Day event hosted by Samaritans and taken on all aspects of the luncheon.
Acting as the Newcastle event’s “jack-of-all trades,” Zoe helps to coordinate the chaos, jumping between sections like infrastructure, food, or people management.
“It’s such a fun event. It’s literally chaos on the day, but, at the end, everyone just goes ‘what a good day that was,’” Zoe says.
The genuine sense of community is what keeps bringing her back year after year.
“[It’s] the people on both sides. The actual people who receive the lunches, are the same people I've been seeing every single year for the past, you know, 10 years,” Zoe says.
“Things change for them, some things get better, some things get worse, but they always know that they can come back, and the same smiling faces are going to be there.
“The same goes with the staff who volunteer every year. We’ve become a little mini family.
“And, even though we might not talk at all throughout the year, when we come back together on Christmas Day it’s like we’ve seen them last week for a coffee catch up.”
Over the years, Zoe has seen many changes in the luncheon, from the transition to a sit-down meal to a takeaway style during COVID, to the best of both worlds that is provided now.
But the biggest difference Zoe has noticed is the number of people who attend each year.
“Unfortunately, we've probably seen more and more people each year, which is representative of the cost of living and access to nice food,” she says.
“It's getting a lot more difficult for people who are struggling to pay bills.
“There’s not so much just individuals coming anymore, people are bringing their whole family because it's just a nice place to be surrounded by people in the same situation or at least people who want to share and enjoy a day with you.”
Every year, Samaritans Christmas Lunch in the Park brings festive cheer to more than a thousand people.
Zoe says volunteering at the event is something that everyone should experience at least once.
“Honestly, nothing compares to volunteering and giving someone the gift of Christmas, so to speak,” she says.
“You’ll just want to keep coming back.”