The Christmas decorations may have come down, but we’re still reflecting on the impact our teams made throughout the festive period. In December, we stepped away from our kitchens and desks to spread a little Christmas cheer in the local communities we work with every day.
Delivering Christmas joy
In the spirit of Christmas, our team dug out their best festive jumpers, popped on Santa hats and headed over to Bexhill Hospital, just in time for their brand-new kitchen opening party. This new space has come together wonderfully, and it's all down to the hard work of everyone at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and League of Friends. We had a lovely time catching up and celebrating with the people we work alongside every day.
Of course, we couldn’t turn up without a little festive cheer of our own. Being in hospital is difficult at the best of times, but at Christmas time, it can be particularly isolating. With that in mind, we decided to make a small pledge of our own. We donated a slice of Christmas cake to every patient across the Trust’s four hospitals, around 1,000 in total. We hope this small act of kindness made a difficult day feel that bit brighter.
Festive feasting
For many people at Christmas, food is the main event. 2025 felt like a big milestone with it being the first time we rolled out Christmas dinners to customers across the country. In fact, we served over 32,000 Christmas meals to pupils in West Sussex alone, which is no small feat!
Our chefs and dietitians pulled out all the stops for our classic Christmas dinners. Tender slices of roast turkey were served alongside crisp roast potatoes, golden Yorkshire puddings and much-loved pigs in blankets. Of course, no Christmas dinner is complete without fresh seasonal vegetables and a generous ladleful of rich gravy.
And for anyone who’s vegetarian or vegan, there was no missing out. Our meat-free Christmas dinners were packed with festive flavour and every bit as comforting and indulgent as the traditional version.
If you’re looking to plan ahead for next Christmas, we’d love to help. Reach out to our team to find out how we can support your school, hospital, care home or workplace in 2026.
