Our communities at Christmas
We love supporting our communities all year round - and Christmas is no exception.
From donating gifts to make other people's Christmases better, to festive parties for families and older tenants, here is a round-up of all our activities:
Family activities
Families enjoyed Breakfast with Mickey and Minnie Mouse at our community centres in Lower Lane, Freckleton, and Saltcotes, Lytham St Annes.
We also had Christmas Present Rooms in our community centres in Lower Lane and, Saltcotes and at Penwortham Community Centre in Kingsfold.
This has been supported by donations from our contractors as part of their social value commitment.
Independent living activities
Tenants aged over 55 enjoyed Christmas parties in their independent living schemes in South Ribble and Fylde. Thank you to Quality Food Fayre for supplying and cooking the Christmas dinners in South Ribble. Big thanks also goes to the Customer Voice Team who cooked and supplied the food in the Fylde schemes, as well as supporting the events in South Ribble.
Some schemes also invited Northeast Producers travelling panto to perform Annie in their communal areas.
Tenants had fun with a three-course meal, singing and dancing at the annual Christmas party at St Gerard’s Parochial Centre in Lostock Hall.
Pupils from St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School sang Christmas carols at Ashwood Court in Longton.
Tenants have also organised their own activities and raised money for charity:
Tenants in the Lowerhouse area organised their own festive party, raising £150 for Shih Tzu Action Rescue (STAR) through a raffle. The tenants will submit an application to the Charity Fund. Town and Country Vibro Ltd donated hampers, along with many more prizes.
Social value
Guild Scaffolding Ltd organised for a choir to perform at Tuson House, in Penwortham, and Broad Oak Group has funded food and an entertainer for a Christmas party organised by tenants at Lostock Court, in Lostock Hall.
Nurture Group donated decorated Christmas trees to some of our independent living schemes for their communal areas.
Howards Decorators donated gifts to our women's refuge, run by Key Unlocking Futures and continue to deliver Bingo with Baz at some of our independent living schemes
Consortia has donated gifts and hampers which were used as prizes at our independent living Christmas activities.
We have used donations from some of our contractors to fund some of our community Christmas activity. This has included:
- The popular present room project at Lower Lane, Saltcotes and Penwortham
- Breakfast with Mickey and Minnie at Lower Lane and Saltcotes
- Penwortham Town Council’s Toy Appeal
- A Christmas party for our supported living (RWP) tenants
- A Christmas party for the community organised by The Larder
Supporting others
Christmas Wish Tree Appeal
South Ribble and Chorley women’s refuges held their annual Christmas Wish Tree Appeal again this year. Tags were placed on trees with people's gift wishes at our offices and at South Ribble Borough Council’s office in Leyland.
Christmas Smiles
The Base in Broadfield and Wade Hall Community Association joined forces to provide children from our Broadfield and Wade Hall communities with a Christmas Eve bag filled with treats, Christmas presents and a new pair of pyjamas. Some of our colleagues took part in the Big Dog Walk in October, raising £595 to support this project, which was match funded to £1,190.
Colleagues also donated items and the Governance Team have volunteered to wrap gifts ready for the volunteer elves to deliver on Christmas Eve.
Community food bank donations
Our colleagues donated food items to five food banks in our communities: Leyland Food Bank at St Mary's, The Base Community Shop in Broadfield, SLEAP (support and lodgings for young people), Lower Lane Food Hub, and The Place Community Centre, Wade Hall.
Progress Housing Group has also donated £3,000 to be split between: Leyland Food Bank at St Mary’s; Penwortham Food Bank; Big Food Project in Blackpool; Christian Community Larder, in Bamber Bridge; The Place Community Centre in Wade Hall; The Base Community Shop, in Broadfield; Fylde Food Community Hub and Fylde Food Bank.
Progress Living Christmas Convoy
Phil Griffin, our Maintenance and Contracts Manager, and the Caretaking Team at Progress Living, are taking part in the annual Christmas Convoy for Boston in our Progress Living vans on December 20.
This has raised £200, which increased to £370 following a successful application to the Group’s Charity Fund to donate gifts to children who will be in Boston Pilgrim Hospital for Christmas this year.
Soup Dragon’s Den – Community Christmas
We awarded a group of volunteers in Chorley, known as Community Christmas 2025, £1,000 from our Community Investment Fund to provide Christmas lunch for those who need it at St George’s Church Hall in Chorley. This money was awarded through our Soup Dragon’s Den event in November.
From all of us at Progress Housing Group, season’s greetings!
