Time To Get Talking This Christmas

Caroline Billington is on a mission to get us all chatting to each other –especially at the most festive time of year. Here, she speaks to Sue Thomas about how she’s changing lives

As Caroline Billington drove a minibus full of elderly people to a festive lunch, she couldn’t help but pick up on the awkward silence.

However, it wasn’t that these people were strangers.

They were neighbours and lived just yards from each other in the same block of flats.

Yet, despite their close living quarters, none of them knew each other or had even had a conversation.

It was 2007 and Caroline had volunteered to drive a minibus of elderly people to a locally organised Christmas Day lunch in Newbury.

‘On the way there, nobody spoke, we just travelled in silence,’ Caroline says.

‘It was so strange, as these people were neighbours. But on the way back, I noticed a stark change. They were chatting non-stop and arranging to meet for coffee.

‘They spoke about what a lovely time they’d had and how happy they were that they’d met each other.’

Caroline was so surprised at how a single lunch had brought everyone out of their shells.

It had given the group the chance to connect, talk and build budding friendships. And it was that moment that gave Caroline an idea that changed her life.

‘Rather than leave the good deed done, I started setting up a charity called Community Christmas,’ Caroline says.