We had a great evening last Thursday at our annual Christmas Carol party. The cold weather was no deterrent with many encouraged to drop in when the Salvation Army Band struck up at 6:45. A crowd of at least thirty enjoyed the mince pies and excellent mulled wine.
A dozen or more soldiers from the Blues and Royals stationed at Hyde Park Barracks joined us in uniform and a few were even persuaded to try some of the mulled wine.
We raised over £1,500 for charity: 60% going to the Salvation Army fund for the Homeless and 40% to the Household Cavalry Foundation. The Household Cavalry Foundation exists to help serving soldiers, casualties, veterans and their dependants.
On the night our thoughts were with Marianthe, whose husband Mikes would have always been on hand to distribute the mulled wine in years past. Sadly he passed away earlier this year.
Since 1865 the Salvation Army has been one of the biggest providers of service to the homeless community in the UK. They have a variety of programmes including soup runs, breakfast clubs, evening support groups (emotional, spiritual and physical), provision of food and clothing, bath and shower facilities, advice and referral. Staff and volunteers build trust with the people using these services, which enable the Salvation Army to help them address the issues surrounding homelessness.
The Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund (HCOCF) which we contributed to last year has been folded into the Household Cavalry Foundation.
Song sheets: XmasCarolsSongsheets.pdf