Crisis calls upon the HR industry to light up Christmas for the homeless with the Crisis Pud

What better way to embrace the true values of Christmas then by giving your employees a Christmas gift that not only ëtastesí good but ëdoesí good too. By buying the Crisis Pud - a Crisis branded luxury Harrods Christmas pudding ñ you will also be giving a homeless people the chance to make a new start in 2006

Every pudding purchased for staff, suppliers and clients will give a homeless person a Christmas dinner ëwith all the trimmingsí at this yearís Crisis Open Christmas, helping them to take the first steps to rebuild their lives.

And ëall the trimmingsí is not just sprouts and gravy but will ensure a homeless person also gets to see a doctor, dentist, talk to a counsellor, have their hair done and take part in a range of activities and training opportunities that may one day lead to employment.

Available for 30 each via a dedicated campaign site www.crisispud.org.uk, larger orders can also be placed by calling Wendy on 020 7426 3848.

Says Chris Askew, Director of Fundraising at Crisis: ìAn underclass of hidden homeless people are trapped simply because they cannot get the help they need. By buying a Crisis Pud, you will be helping them to access services not just at Christmas but year round. ìThe Crisis Pud truly is a ëgoodí gift ñ good for friends and family whoíll enjoy the great taste of Harrodsís classic puddings, good for the hidden homeless who get the chance of a fresh start in 2006 and for the giver - just good for the soulî.

Every pudding sold will raise 25 to help fight homelessness. With a total of 8,000 to sell, thereís the potential to raise 200,000. To put this in context:

25 covers the cost of a homeless person receiving expert housing advice in a one-to-one consultation with qualified advisers at the Open Christmas.

25 pays for a pair of prescription glasses for one of our guests by an opticianís laboratory that stays open over Christmas especially for Crisis.

Thanks to the enormous help we receive from volunteers and sponsors just 200,000 could fund all the direct running costs of the Crisis Open Christmas.

200,000 could fund our Crisis Changing Lives awards scheme for an entire year, providing financial awards to over 200 homeless people to enable them to get back into work, training or start their own business.

Jamie is just one example of how important Crisis Open Christmas is in helping people out of long-term homelessness. He first came to Crisis Open Christmas three years ago as a rough sleeper. Since then he has stopped taking drugs, learnt to read and write and is now a successful poet and writer and publisher of his own blog www.jamiesbigvoice.com. Jamie now lives in his own flat and he and many other formerly homeless people will be returning to Crisis Open Christmas this year as volunteers.

Harrods has supported Crisisí work at Christmas for many years by donating the Christmas Puddings that our guests enjoy with their own Christmas Dinners. It is thanks to their continued support that we are able to send out luxury puddings to everyone who buys Christmas Dinner for a Homeless Person as a gift.