Duo spreading Christmas cheer in the name of Jeremy Corbyn
JON MACPHERSON
Facebook group and a JustGiving page for Centrepoint homeless charity has raised more than £6,000. WO women who On Twitter, the hashtag were left ‘utterly #CorbynsChristmasChaldevastated’ by lenge was trending earlier Labour’s general election this week and the new defeat have turned their page @CorbynChrist has disappointment into combeen followed by Mr Corpassion with the launch of byn’s son, Tommy. the ‘ Corbyn’s Christmas Mum-of-one Jade told challenge’. the Observer: “It’s insane.
Jade Unal and Mia WarIt’s crazy. That’s the only ren, both from Accrington, way I can describe it. It’s said they have been ‘blown great to see how caring away’ by the response to people can be. the social media campaign “We woke up on results which has ‘restored our day and it wasn’t what we faith in humanity’. expected. It was very
The initiative sees strange, like being in a people donate £5 to a local Marvel film but where the food bank before nominatbad guy’s had won. ing others to do the same. “I called Mia and we
More than 12,000 peohad a little cry together ple have joined the #Corunder the covers and bynsChristmasChallenge spoke about going for a
Tgin. I said we can’t do this as we will just be depressed. We need to come up with something to carry on the legacy. “We set up the #CorbynChristmasChallenge group and lots of people started joining. We thought it would only be a small thing but it has grown incredibly.”
Donations have come in across the UK and as far afield as Australia, the US, Turkey and Dubai.
Jade, who has had to use foodbanks in the past 10 years and rely on emergency accommodation, said they ‘wanted to raise money for things that Jeremy Corbyn would help fix’.
She said: “The reason we chose homelessness is because the first thing Jeremy Corbyn was going to do when he became Prime Minister was tackle homelessness. That was the most obvious things to go for.
“It’s all about community and getting people involved. We want to live out Jeremy Corbyn’s legacy.
“The world is our oyster with this socialist concept. Forgetting the Jeremy Corbyn aspect to it, it’s socialism at its finest and people coming together to help the most vulnerable.”
The JustGiving page closed on Wednesday and the name of the #CorbynsChristmasChallenge group will change following a consultation with members.
Mia first met Jade at a Jeremy Corbyn rally in Pendle recently and said they want to “end the stigma of suffering”.
Speaking to the Mirror, she said: “Our phones have been going off every few seconds. We’ve got thousands and thousands of people wanting to help.
“I’ve had 15 of my friends thank me and admit to using foodbanks.
“People you would never think would have used them. Because nobody reaches out to you you have no idea. It’s not the done thing to admit.
“We need to start looking after each other. It’s the only way we’re going to survive. Like in the old days when you’d knock on your neighbour’s door for a bag of sugar, we need to band together again, love each other more, and support each other more. Take it back to how it was in the War days, even.”
The admins of the #CorbynsChristmasChallenge Facebook page said: “This challenge was created because we believe people deserve a good Christmas this year. It has been a difficult one for many and we want to help. The fundraisers and challenges will continue in the name of Jeremy Corbyn.”
Mia added that they would like the incredible outpouring of compassion and kindness to continue after the Christmas challenge has run its course - and they hope Mr Corbyn will pick charities he would like money to go to.
To donate visit www. justgiving.com/fundraising/ corbynschristmaschallenge or join the #CorbynsChristmasChallenge Facebook page.