Compassion at Christmas

We asked the Bath Spa community to share all the ways they helped spread compassion at Christmas this year.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - except that sometimes, for some people, it’s not. Whether it’s feelings of loneliness, worries about money, or the anxiety of living through an unprecedented year, many of us may be feeling less than festive. But this is also a time when spreading joy and compassion is, perhaps, more important than ever.

This year we joined Compassionate Community in helping others by promoting the #CompassionAtChristmas campaign. We asked the Bath Spa community to think about and share the ways they gave back and made a difference to someone this Christmas, and there was plenty of giving to go around.

One staff member signed up for a campaign called PosTEA with Bird & Blend Tea, where they match you with someone who is isolated so you can send them a Christmas card or letter. You send it to Bird & Blend and they pop some tea in and send it on!

“I was matched with someone who likes wildlife, so I got him a card with a cute robin on it and sent him a nice message to hopefully brighten his day a little bit,” she said.

The Catering team made things a bit sweeter for students who hadn't yet or weren't able to leave campus for the winter break, with free mince pies and hot drinks at lunchtime on 18 December.

The External Affairs team implemented a month of “Secret Missions” - simple tasks assigned to a member of the team each day to help spread a bit of cheer. Tasks ranged from “do something nice for a colleague” to “turn off your phone and be present (no pun intended)”. Small tasks like this only take a moment, and just go to show you don’t have to expend huge amounts of effort, time or money to spread joy.

Other things our staff did to spread compassion at Christmas included:

• Donated to Boaz, a charity that supports migrant and trafficked women

• Accompanied one of their elderly neighbours for a lunchtime walk every day

• Donated to a women’s refuge

• Bought presents for the Salvation Army Christmas present appeal

• Stored a vulnerable neighbour’s grocery delivery in their freezer when she didn’t have room in her own

• Prepared food hampers for St Swithin's Parish, Bath

The Compassion at Christmas campaign continues until 31 December, so there are still plenty of days left in the month to keep spreading cheer and end the year on a positive note.

Here’s to a kinder and more compassionate new year in 2021!