Gingerbread groups up and down the country have been bringing single parents together to make friends, have fun and celebrate Christmas. Here’s our round-up of what’s been going on:

Ema celebrates 10 years with Gingerbread!

Our fabulous volunteer Ema Howling in North West London recently celebrated her 10-year volunteering anniversary for Gingerbread. We marked the occasion with a party attended by around 20 single-parent families and Mimmi from Gingerbread.

Group members at the party talked about how important the group was to them. One mum commented that it was ‘everything to her and was her family’.  Gingerbread consistently gets phenomenal feedback about the value of Ema’s group and we’re truly lucky to have Ema as a volunteer group lead.

Another parent talked about the importance of the group:  ‘The connection with so many different parents is really empowering as a single parent. Our coordinator is amazing and having been in this group for 7 years I really feel blessed. It’s taught my daughter that many other children are living our family situation which is really important for her to see.’

Thank You Ema from all of us at Gingerbread! 

Tree decorating in Shipley

Our fabulous group in Shipley, led by volunteer Angela, took part in a Christmas tree decorating competition.  The group decided to decorate the tree with – what else? – a range of gingerbread men.  ‘Each gingerbread man was created differently, using different materials, because we wanted to show that all single parents are unique individuals,’ says Angela.

Members started work on the tree in October and had a creative session together with their children in mid-November.  The tree is on display in a local church where people can enjoy the tree and find out more about Gingerbread. The group also doused all the decorations in Gingerbread oil to fill the church with a delicious Gingerbread smell!

The tree competition is open until the New Year, so if you’re in the area please pop in and vote for us!

English Heritage, in collaboration with Gingerbread, held a free event for single-parent families at Belsay Hall in Northumberland.  27 people came together on the day and the children did a Christmas quest around the grounds, made a Christmas toy in an elf workshop, made some Christmas decorations and a bird feeder. 

Groups manager Emily says:

‘What a day! It was lovely to bring single-parent families together in the run up to Christmas and everyone who came along said it was a great opportunity to make memories and meet other single parents. We’re so grateful to Belsay Hall and English Heritage for making this happen – thank you from all of us at Gingerbread!’

Polar Express 

Wow, where to start with this! We couldn’t believe our luck when we were offered 5 carriages for the Polar Express from Euston for local single-parent families. 248 parents and children from our groups were welcomed with hot chocolates and cookies before boarding the steam train, where they met Santa, were entertained by performers and gifted a silver bell. 

We can’t thank the Polar Express team enough for this opportunity. The feedback from families and the smiling faces on the photos show just how much it meant to everyone who attended:

‘I just wanted to say the biggest thank you for allowing me and my son to attend the Polar Express.  This year has been one of the hardest for me regarding my ex-partner and my finances. U honestly don’t know what u did for us yesterday. It was the most magical and the most happiest time for me this year.’  

‘My daughter (my 13 year old princess) and I had an amazing evening . Even though she’s just turned a teenager and I am finding this transition very hard as a single father, it’s events like these which help us bond together.’

 ‘Our trip on The Polar Express last night was the most magical experience and one I never would have able to justify us doing were it not for Gingerbread. I feel so lucky that my children were able to have this experience and I’m grateful to Gingerbread and to you for making this happen and for so much more.’

Thank you to Belsay Hall, English Heritage and Polar Express for creating magical memories for single-parent families.

We’re always keen to discuss new ways of working in partnership with other organisations and companies to benefit single-parent families. If you’d like to connect us with your company or venue, please get in touch!

Gingerbread works with partner organisations who want to support single parents in their workforce. We’ve recently launched a new partnership with Manchester Museum. Our fantastic volunteer Rachel has built up a great online presence and has started holding monthly meet-ups in a wonderful city-centre space kindly provided by the Museum.  Rachel held their first meet-up in the early-years room on 17 November, which was attended by 5 families, followed by a Christmas-themed get together in December. We’re excited to hear how the group takes shape in the New Year!