Volunteer Farrah Amjad to Deliver Christmas Meals in Tameside

A volunteer, known as a “care home elf,” is preparing to spend Christmas Day delivering festive dinners to individuals who might otherwise go without, despite not celebrating Christmas herself. Farrah Amjad and her fellow volunteers from the Care Home Elf project will be distributing meals to care homes across Tameside, as well as to residents within the wider community. The former district nurse explained that the project was initially established five years ago to provide Christmas gifts to care home residents, after she observed that some did not receive any. She noted that loneliness is also a “massive problem at the moment in the community,” and undertaking this work “makes people feel happy and makes me feel happy.” She stated, “This year, we wanted to do something different. We want to do the meals and deliver them out to people in the community.” Ms. Amjad clarified that while her family does not celebrate Christmas because they are not Christians, they hold the belief “that, regardless of anyone’s race, religion or background, giving back to the community is really important.” She expressed her hope to expand the project next year to serve a greater number of people in Tameside. Ms. Amjad, who is employed by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Trust, is currently organizing a fundraiser to support the initiative. She and her volunteers have been collaborating with Tameside Adult Social Care and the licensing team to ensure the safe delivery of food to people on Christmas Day. She extended her gratitude to Firbank House Care Home in Ashton-Under-Lyne for its support of this year’s appeal, noting that their chef has agreed to assist in preparing meals for the community. Tameside councillor John Taylor, who holds responsibility for adult social care, described the project as “a fantastic initiative” and stated that Ms. Amjad and her family “should be so proud to lead it each year.” He added, “Through this appeal they will bring festive joy and happiness to our communities and care homes this Christmas Day.”