by Kathryn Yates, Culture and Communities Manager
In 2025, MacIntyre’s Everyone Everywhere initiative lived up to its name, bringing people together and using the things we are good at and care about to make a difference in our neighbourhoods and communities.
We asked how can we help?
December was a wonderful time for reaching out, helping others and really showing the different ways that people who draw on support can contribute.
We had giving trees in Warrington, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes, helping local charities do their work. Christmas grottos in Bedfordshire and Wrexham brought joy to children and their families. In Oxfordshire we wrapped presents, in Chesterfield we made a community Christmas dinner, in Leicester and Buckinghamshire we supported local foodbanks. The focus in Greater Manchester was on connecting with neighbours through cards and invitations to get together over Christmas. And our staff gave back in their own time, like Az in Milton Keynes volunteering to drive older people to their Christmas dinner.
New year’s resolutions
Did you know 2026 is a special year for MacIntyre? We're celebrating 60 years since our founding. As we move through 2026, there will be many opportunities for connecting and celebrating this amazing milestone.
In particular we want to draw attention to the “Looking outwards” part of Everyone Everywhere as we think and plan how we can use our celebrations to ensure people are part of their local communities.
It’s about working together, knowing people and being known. And when we are intentional that’s when great things happen! So we'll be intentional as we think about these things:
- Friendship – how can we be intentional about making friends and meeting new people in a way that makes sense?
- Collaboration – how can we work together with other businesses, creatives, and organisations to shine a light on the great work everyone is doing and have some fun along the way?
- Wellbeing – if we want to be well inside and out, lets look for opportunities to be active, keep learning, take notice, connect and give back.
Lets think about what people can do
It’s natural to focus on all the things we can’t do. I'm sure you know that feeling! But when we think instead about what we are good at and what we care about, we can start to come up with those creative ideas that are right for each of us.
So here’s to a super 60th birthday year that gives us the chance to bring our DNA to life through connecting, collaborating and celebrating.
