At Oasis, we believe in the power of community – in making everyone feel connected, supported, and valued, especially during the festive season. Christmas is a time for reflection, generosity, and togetherness, and across our hubs, we are continuously working hard to ensure that everyone in our local neighbourhoods feels the warmth of belonging.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but this year, I’ve discovered that I don’t actually know the words to most Christmas carols. It’s been quite a humbling realisation. I was brought up with Christmas assemblies and church services where carols were sung year after year. But, despite my best efforts, I’m still one of those people who awkwardly hums ‘O Holy Night’, vaguely mouthing the words.

Unfortunately, I came to this discovery in a very public place- Waterloo Station, the third busiest train station in the UK. I was standing with staff, volunteers and community members from Oasis Hub Waterloo, singing (or, in my case, making strange, slightly delayed noises) as part of our annual ‘Carolathon’ - a 12-hour, non-stop carol singing marathon that takes place every year to raise money for our hub’s foodbank. In the cold and chaotic environment of the station, surrounded by hundreds of bustling commuters, I realised I can’t freestyle carols without the words, I could only rock gently side-to-side, with an expression of both awe and confusion, like a child playing the part of an armadillo in their school’s nativity play.

But luckily, it didn’t matter. Everyone around me had a much stronger grasp of the carols. In fact, some commuters even joined in, singing along with us! This, for me, is what our hubs are all about-bringing people together so that everyone is included and feels a sense of belonging.

The Carolathon is just one example of the many ways that our Oasis hubs will be building community this Christmas. Over in Manchester, Oasis Hub MediaCity have already hosted a Christmas fayre, complete with stalls, tombola, choirs, and Santa! They’ve also made hampers for 40 families and 200 homemade Christmas cards, made by our academy students, to be sent to care home residents in the local community. Each local neighbourhood is different, and so is the work we do in our hubs.

At Oasis, when we talk about ‘hubs’, we don’t mean a building or set of services. We mean a thriving local neighbourhood. A community where everyone is included, everyone makes a contribution, and everyone has the opportunity to reach their God-given potential.

Christmas is a season of mixed emotions. For some of us, it’s a time of immense joy as we gather with family, open presents, and eat delicious food. For others, it’s a time of immense hardship, when we may not have a family to celebrate with, presents to open, or Christmas food to enjoy. And perhaps, for most of us, Christmas is a mix of both. That’s why, across the Oasis family, we are all working hard to ensure that our hubs are places of belonging, connection and inclusion- so that everyone in our neighbourhoods can experience the warmth of community this Christmas.

- David Clegg, OCT Communications Officer