Meet the Yorkshire volunteers helping others this Christmas

Some people choose to opt out of the traditional family Christmas in an effort to help others instead

What motivates people to give up some of their Christmas Day to help others?

About 16 million people in the UK take part in formal or informal volunteering at least once a month throughout the year, according to government figures.

However, Christmas often means volunteering gets put on pause as time is spent with family and friends, enjoying food and giving and receiving gifts.

BBC News has spoken to some people in Yorkshire who instead choose to spend their Christmas helping others.

'Everybody welcome'

Bruce Reid (left) with other volunteers ensures anyone who wants one can have a Christmas dinner in Knaresborough

For the last four years, Bruce Reid has worked with a team of volunteers to coordinate the Knaresborough Christmas Day Dinner.

A retired firefighter, he was based in Harrogate when he first launched the festive meals in 2019.

"We were on duty on Christmas Day and I thought what we would try to do was open up the station to welcome anybody who was in any sort of need," he explained.

Though Mr Reid retired from the fire service in 2020, he was encouraged to continue the event.

Since then, the Christmas Day Dinner has been held at several venues in Bruce's home town of Knaresborough, and this year the volunteers have even been offered the use of a restaurant in the town.

"We're doing the same as in previous years in terms of doing both an eat-in service and for those who don't want to attend in person they can have a full Christmas dinner delivered to their door," Mr Reid said.

Usually, about 50 people opted for the delivery service and 50 attended the meal in person to share the festivities with others, he added.

Bruce Reid's first event took place at Harrogate Fire Station at Christmas 2019

"We do welcome everybody. Anybody who is in any need and who wants a Christmas dinner for whatever reason is more than welcome," Mr Reid explained.

Fundraising and donations help ensure the meal goes ahead and volunteers take home vegetables to prepare them, often involving their families.

On the day itself, the volunteers do the cooking, washing up and serving the guests.

"These are volunteers who are giving up their time on Christmas Day to benefit those people," Mr Reid said.

"It is wonderful, absolutely wonderful."

'Real joy'

Lisa Holdsworth said volunteering helped connect with other people

Television writer Lisa Holdsworth, of Fat Friends, Waterloo Road and Emmerdale fame - among many others, has been involved with the Leeds Care Leavers Christmas Party for seven years.

She said the idea for the party had originally come from poet Lemn Sissay, who grew up in care, and several similar events inspired by him now took place every Christmas across the UK.

"He remembered some very miserable Christmases and wanted to make sure young people who are leaving care had a better time than him," Ms Holdsworth said.

The event in Leeds was started a decade ago and is run independently.

Ms Holdsworth said the day was intended to offer care leavers aged between 18 and 25 a "luxurious meal" and a day full of "surprises and delight".

She now chaired the committee which ran the event and was involved in "every aspect" of the meal, she said.

"It takes up a big chunk of Christmas and I really enjoy it."

The volunteers who took part were from a range of backgrounds, but many had found the "consumerism of a traditional Christmas doesn't really suit them", Ms Holdsworth said.

"They'd rather be doing something to give back. There is a real joy to it.

"We've always had fun. It is always a good time and that's what we tell people who are thinking about volunteering."

Volunteers help set up for the Leeds Care Leavers Christmas Party the night before

The group behind the Leeds Care Leavers Christmas Party fundraised throughout the year and catered for about 50 young people who attended on the big day, she said.

According to Ms Holdsworth, many of those teenagers and young adults coming along could be a little unsure at the start of the event.

"We make sure we've got lots of people greeting them," she said.

Alongside the traditional dinner, the volunteers always ensured there was plenty of food, sweets and drinks - though it is an alcohol-free event - as well as games to play, she added.

"It's like a family Christmas, just a large one.

"In the space of a few hours, we give a really good Christmas Day to the young people."

Ms Holdsworth said volunteering at the event helped create a connection with people from different walks of life.

"It is really easy to stay in your bubble and not understand the realities other people are going through. It makes you count your blessings."

'An amazing thing'

Ian Donaghy and an army of volunteers try and ensure no-one is alone at Christmas in York

On Christmas Day, York writer and musician Ian Donaghy, together with a large group of volunteers, will be busy delivering hampers, lunches and offering company to older people in the city.

What is known as Xmas Presence began in 2015 and was inspired after Mr Donaghy's son spoke to an older man at a dementia cafe who was spending the day alone.

"He was astounded by that and he got in the car and said, 'dad, what are you going to do about that?'"

The result was an an annual Christmas lunch, providing company to older people in the city of York who would otherwise be alone.

However, Mr Donaghy said that following the Covid pandemic, the volunteers had made a change to the Christmas Day event.

"We've gone to a delivery of hampers, dinners, cooking someone's dinner and then sitting with them and having a craic," he said.

"We are reaching about 130 to 140 homes on Christmas Day with a team of volunteers and a budget of nowt."

He said it was only through the generosity of local businesses and an "army of volunteers" that the deliveries happened.

One butcher had donated £1,200 worth or meat and University of York head chef Andrew Wood prepared all the meals, he added.

"We've just got York behind us. It's York helping York and it's an amazing thing."

Xmas Presence delivers food and hampers to about 140 older people in the city

Mr Donaghy said none of the food or hamper contents were wasted, with anything unused distributed to other organisations in the city.

"Everything that's donated is used to make somebody smile," he said.

This year, there were about 100 volunteers helping, but Mr Donaghy argued that no-one involved was "giving up" their time.

Instead, he explained, they were "investing time".

"Giving up means you've lost something. We've lost nothing, we've only gained."

The volunteers out delivering on Christmas Day had a limited number of stops each to ensure they could also provide a bit of company to those they were visiting, Mr Donaghy said.

"You see the joy. People's faces light up when you go to the door," he said.

"We are touching people's lives individually. It helps us as well.

"There's a fine line between the helped and the helpers. Everybody wins with Xmas Presence."