A History of our Christmas Day Party

In the late 1970s, the Mayor hosted a small Christmas party at Wilton Hall for 25 elderly guests. As the event grew in popularity, the venue moved in 1993 to the Argos Head Office on Avebury Boulevard and became known as the Milton Keynes Christmas Day Party for the Elderly.

In 2006, an opportunity arose to move the event to the Santander Building in Shenley Wood. Then, in 2019, the party relocated to the "Players Suite" at the DoubleTree Hotel. This move greatly eased the workload for the organising committee, as the hotel provides a wonderful three-course meal for our guests. Throughout the day we also arrange entertainment, and in the afternoon a special visitor arrives with a present for every guest.

For many elderly people, Christmas can be a particularly lonely time. Some live far from family members who have moved away, while others have sadly lost their spouses.

On this special day, we aim to ease that loneliness. Our volunteers offer something truly meaningful to our senior guests — the gift of friendship. Donations enable us to provide a memorable experience and thoughtful gifts that our guests remember long after the Christmas decorations have been packed away.

The day begins at around 10am, when volunteer drivers collect guests from their homes and bring them to the venue. They are welcomed by more volunteers who look after them throughout the day until they return home at around 4pm. Each year we host approximately 100 elderly guests who might otherwise be spending Christmas Day alone.