Always on
This project successfully funded on 9th October 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
A Seat at the Christmas Table
Heanor, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
Aim
Help us create an inclusive Christmas experience where people facing loneliness, isolation or overwhelm know they have a seat at the table.
A Seat at the Christmas Table 🎄💜
I’m Marybeth, founder of Dreamscape Community Connections C.I.C.
I created Dreamscape because I know how difficult it can feel to walk into a room where you don’t know anyone, attend something alone, or want connection but find traditional social situations overwhelming.
Dreamscape is about doing things differently.
We create welcoming, low-pressure spaces for people who may be neurodivergent, chronically ill, anxious, isolated, lacking confidence or simply looking for somewhere they can feel part of a community.
Nobody has to be the loudest person in the room. Nobody has to join every activity. Nobody has to explain why they need a quieter moment.
Our belief is simple: everyone deserves somewhere they feel welcome.
Why A Seat at the Christmas Table?
Christmas is often described as the happiest time of the year, but that isn’t everyone’s experience.
For someone experiencing loneliness, Christmas can make that loneliness feel even bigger.
For someone grieving, there can be an empty seat that means more than words can explain.
For someone who is neurodivergent, anxious or chronically ill, traditional Christmas events can sometimes feel too busy, overwhelming or inaccessible.
And for someone with low confidence, simply walking through the door alone can be the hardest part.
That’s why, on Sunday 22 November 2026, we’re bringing A Seat at the Christmas Table to The Grammar, Heanor.
From 12pm until 7:30pm, we’re creating an inclusive Christmas experience where people can celebrate in a way that works for them.
What will the day look like? ✨
Throughout the day there will be festive activities, community stalls, entertainment and performances, food, refreshments and opportunities to connect with others.
We’ll have quiet and sensory-friendly provision for anyone who needs time away from the busier parts of the event.
We’ll also have our special remembrance area, “Those Who Should Be Sat Beside Us,” creating space to remember the people who are missing from our tables this Christmas.
As the afternoon moves into the evening, there will be more Christmas magic, hot chocolate and an evening Christmas film experience.
And there may be a few surprises along the way. ❤️
Most importantly, people can experience the day at their own pace.
You can come with friends or family. You can come alone. You can get involved in everything, or simply find somewhere comfortable and enjoy being around other people.
There is no right way to belong.
Why we’re crowdfunding 💜
We have already spent months planning this event, speaking to local organisations, bringing together volunteers, performers, stallholders, businesses and community supporters.
Some wonderful people and organisations have already donated their time, services, products and support.
But putting on an accessible community event of this size still comes with significant costs.
We now need to raise £2,000 by 31 October 2026 to help us bring everything together in time for 22 November.
Money raised through this Crowdfunder will help towards things such as:
- Venue and event costs
- Food provision and meal tokens
- Activities and materials
- Accessibility and sensory provision
- Entertainment and the evening experience
- Decorations and equipment
- Printing, signage and information
- Other essential costs involved in delivering the day
Every pound raised will go towards helping us create the event.
Small donations can create something big
£2,000 can sound like a huge amount for a small community organisation.
But when a community gets behind something, it becomes much more achievable.
200 people donating £10 would get us there.
Some people might only be able to give £2 or £5. Others may be able to give £10, £25 or more.
Businesses may choose to support us too.
And if you can’t donate, sharing our Crowdfunder with someone else could be the reason it reaches the person who can.
Every donation and every share matters.
More than a Christmas event
For us, success isn’t just about how many people walk through the doors.
It’s the person who nearly stayed home but found the courage to come.
It’s someone arriving alone and leaving knowing another person’s name.
It’s a neurodivergent person finding somewhere they don’t feel they have to mask.
It’s someone grieving being given space to remember.
It’s a family discovering a community they didn’t know was there.
And it’s someone who thought they had nobody to spend Christmas with realising that their community has remembered them.
That is what A Seat at the Christmas Table is about.
We have until 31 October to raise £2,000.
If you can donate, sponsor us or simply share our story, you’ll be helping us create something that we hope people will remember long after Christmas is over.
Because everyone deserves to know that somewhere, there is a seat waiting for them. ❤️
Thank you for supporting Dreamscape Community Connections C.I.C.
Where Quiet Hearts Find Home. 💜
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made