The Cotton Tree Christmas party 2022

It was a bleak midwinter. Ice on the ground. A poorly lit path. Christmas 2022

After two miserable years of cancelled parties and other meet-ups, the Cotton Tree community came together for a banquet and joyful reunion. The church was filled with light and warmth.

Despite the cost-of-living crisis, the thermostat was up. Fairy lights twinkled from the pillars, the ceilings and the walls.

People greeted each other with laughter and hugs. Like the wise old men, they came bearing gifts: pots of food, carrier bags bulging with groceries, flowers and fresh fruit.

The kitchen was a hive of industry throughout the party. We had national dishes from Cameroon, Syria, Ghana, Turkey, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and it was all delicious and amazing.

We chatted, we danced, and we laughed at the children running around the hall with their four-legged friend, Ashira. Balloons flew overhead and disappeared with a bang. Ashira delighted the kids with her head-butting skills.

British winters can be depressing, even for people with settled lives. For people without these, it can feel as though the hostile political environment has influenced the weather.

Lockdown was hard for our members, but the nation has moved on, and this is what we expect for our members. The party reminded us who and what we are: a thriving community of incredible people who care and share.

Happy new 2023!