Santa’s coming to town

You know the X Factor isn’t going to call you back, when everyone goes and sits out in the snow rather than listen to yet another do-gooder accompanying herself to a medley of Christmas Carols. Even my visitor stats seem sky high compared to the number of bums on seats then. I can’t be there this year, but find out how you can help www.crisis.org.uk/ as a volunteer or donor. It’s a fantastic experience, though if you have young kids, maybe give the night time rotas a miss.

One year I finally got it together and invited three girlfriends to join me in a Pop-Up girl group. I’m not completely sure, but I think we were ‘The Rockettes’ as two of us had been rock climbing buddies and had a band with that name. That particular mate, Rosita, plays the guitar as well. She has an amazing voice and sings in a top Welsh choir. When she was a teenager, Brian Epstein wanted to represent her – yes that’s the same Brian Epstein who was the Beatles’ manager. But Rosita was at school and didn’t want to interrupt her A Levels studies which she loved. She turned him down.

I know what you’re thinking. Me too. But she’s had an interesting life all the same. Luckily for me Rosie’s also my sister’s sister-in-law, so we’re family as well as friends.

Another year, I set up a temporary art school at Crisis at Christmas for a week. About 30 guys came and sat at the trestle tables we set up. I wanted to create a piece of artwork by and for homeless people that would raise awareness and bring confidence and pride to those who made it.

The men designed their ideal images on hexagonal clay panels: a football team; a girlfriend; a favourite meal etc. which we then made into plaster casts. We’d begged and borrowed the materials from several art schools in London. Then we schlepped everything to the huge temporary shelter which was in the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London.  A few months earlier, I’d met a man who drew a design that was going to incorporate these images into a 12ft bronze sculpture for Central London. Wimbledon school of Art said they would cast it for us. By the end of the week, the guys at the shelter felt good about their artwork and themselves. At least a couple of them were inspired to look for jobs based on their renewed self confidence. Their faces were brighter with hope as they walked off into their future.

If you’ve ever done this sort of volunteering I’d love to hear your stories.