Christmas spirit thriving in Bendigo

I WISH to clarify the City of Greater Bendigo's role in the hosting of the community Christmas lunch. 
The council is not responsible for lunch on Christmas Day, nor makes the decision of it being on or off. 
If other organisations want to host a community lunch on Christmas Day, then we encourage them to do so. 
The council and the Bendigo Volunteer Resource Centre are proudly supporting the Bendigo Stadium, which is hosting a Festive Season Community Lunch on December 23 and we are encouraging businesses to make a donation so it can be a success. 
City staff, together with a small number of other individuals, including local media,volunteered to save the Christmas Day event last year at very short notice. 
The subsequent lunch at the Town Hall highlighted that the venue is not suitable for such a big event, with some people having to eat their meal in the corridor. 
It also highlighted that in addition to the terrific work of volunteers, such an event also needs expert caterers and event managers. 
It was not an option to use the Town Hall this year as we would have needed to cap attendees and turn people away. A larger venue with trained staff was needed. 
The Bendigo Stadium very generously offered to donate its venue free of charge, including expert catering and event staff, and to make a significant financial contribution towards a lunch. However, it does not open on Christmas Day. 
The council believes that the Festive Season Community Lunch on December 23 can be a success.The intent is for people not to be alone during the festive season. 
The council together with the BVRC is communicating with schools, churches and community organisations to invite the more vulnerable members of our community to the stadium celebration. The council is also seeking information about who may need to be connected into other support services on Christmas Day. 
The Bendigo Advertiser posed the question on its front page: Where’s the spirit of Christmas? The spirit of Christmas in Greater Bendigo is thriving. This is evident in the generosity shown by Bendigo Stadium and through the support from BRVC. 
The council looks forward to others supporting this important community function and if other groups want to host lunches or other events on Christmas Day, we encourage them to do so and we will work with them to promote their events at every opportunity. 
If there are groups with the skills and abilities to host and cater a function utilising council facilities, then I would encourage them to contact me on 5434 6000.