Christmas on Benefits

This programme contains some strong language.

It's Phil Taggart on the roo. We'll let the first band of the night.

I'm Phil Taggart. I make my living as a DJ on radio 1. But until

recently I didn't make any kind of living at all. About four or five

years ago I was unemployed, I was on benefits. I used to get the dole. I

just finished university so I speds up it the big smoke, Belfast City

and couldn't find a job for love nor money. These days one in five young

people find themselves unemployed. Those claiming job Jobseeker's

Allowance live on about ?56 a week. # Jingle bells... #

This time of year, it is pretty tough. Christmas is the moment of

the year you dread the most on benefits. That's when everybody is

flashing the cash. All your friends and all your family are, you know

out buying drinks presents and you are expected to match that.

I want young, unemployed people to have a good Christmas and maybe some

of the skills people learn living on benefits can help ait about. You

have to be as cheeky and resourceful as you possibly can around Christmas

time. I'm starting a project, getting a

team of unemployed people together and we are going to see if we can

organise a Christmas party that we can afford. The motley crew we have

together, we've go the five wonderful people, we've go the

myself. We've go the Sammie, Shaun... I'd love to have a job. I'd

love it. If I Koscielny, I'd work full time, to prove myself, no way

-- if I could. It is frustrating I'm here at the

job seeker's centre. I want to be out using my degree. Why should

people who have full-time jobs be the only ones allowed to party?

Of course, we're going to need food but we have to find ways of getting

it on the cheap. I think of it as legal shoplifting. We have our swag.

?70 worth of products and it costs ?1.34. I don't know how you have

done T We'll need culinary geniuses and a venue ?10 each. Is there no

way we can go to the owner and go - ?50, that will do us.

Presents are a must. A dog toy. She will love T it's from me. I've done

something amazing. And, ahem, a world class DJ.

Nothing is coming out of the speakers. I'm about to have a

full-scale freak-out melt down. But must of all, we need people ready

and willing to have fun. How much of a good timed can we have on ?56 a

week? It's going to be fun, it's going to be thrifty.

# I'm dreaming of a white Christmas #

Bristol is the largest city in the South West of England land. It's got

a young population and a massive creative streak. I'm feeling this

place is the right fit for my party planning expedition. Tonight the

city's Christmas lights are switching on. The people are on the

streets, feeling festive and spending money.

At this time of year, everyone wants to be at the party and I'm no

different. So I'm going to be at the first one of the season.

# A little party never killed nobody # We don't dance until we drop,

drop... # Oh my God. I haven't been to a

switching on of a lights since I was about 11. This is probably one of

the biggest free parties of the whole year. And it's like - it's

mainly for kids, though, snted it? I'm attempting to organise a

Christmas party. We'll need a venue, we'll need food, presents and

people. But we've got no money. The team I'm getting together need to be

resourceful and thrifty. I'll handle the music. They can handle the rest.

Ladies and gentlemen, Suzanne Shaw. Suzanne Shaw from Emmerdale and

Hear'say. Are you looking forward to Christmas. 3, 2, 1... Oh my

goodness. # I wish it could be Christmas every

day... # I reckon we could do that, on a

budget, for our Christmas partied. It's going to be epic.

# Let the bells # Ring out

# For Christmas benefits party... # Can we get away from the speakers

now? I'm deaf. We've set a date for our party.

Sunday 1st December. To keep costs down, we're going to have to do a

lot of the work for the party ourselves. In the UK, there are over

300,000 young people claiming job jobseeker's allowance, so we've got

a massive pool to pick from. My first volunteers are Sammie and

Shaun, who we bumped into at a community centre, where we're

studying to improve their qualifications.

Sammie was learning to be a mechanic but had to give up when she turned

20. The rules about how much you can study while claiming benefits are

pretty strict. I could have carried on and finished my course for the

rest of the time but I would have been left with no money. It was hard

it choose. I wanted to finish it. It was something I always wanted to do.

So in summer this year, Sammie started signing on. Her boyfriend

Shaun, knows exactly what that is like. He hasn't had a job since

leaving school three-and-a-half years ago. It's estimated that there

are as many has 640,000 young people who've never worked.

It just makes you feel like you're worthless. You apply for job after

job and you ain't got nowhere. But obviously one day I will get a job

but there ain't no point giving up. Shaun reckons he has applied for a

couple of jobs a day over the past two years. I reckon that's the sort

of commitment we need at this party. You two are kind of inseparable,

though, really, aren't you? We've been told we are an old married

couple. A few times. They have been a couple for 18 months. I know

because Shaun has the date tattooed on the back of his neck. It looks

really sore. If you don't get married your next

girlfriend will hate you. Does it make it easier being on a couple

when you are on benefits? He gets paid one week, I get paid the week

after. We share our money. It lasts us. That's how we do it. If we had

to do it by ourselves we'd be skint for a whole week. Sammie adores

Christmas but hasn't been looking forward to it this year since

signing on. It is horrible. You have to buy 12 people different presents.

Have you got a big family Five centres, three brothers. What will

happen? Well my sister has children My nan is the same. 4 owe clock

Christmas day. She will be cooking. Do you ever consider pitching in on

the cooking? I would love to. Every time I say to this people, my mum

says I'm the only person she knows o who can burn corn flakes. There is

no chance she would give me a chance. Christmas day is the main

event. There is no way. From chatting to them, you can see there

is an inate frustration from Shaun and Sammie. He needs that one

employer to get hold of him to he can get a job and showcase what he

is about. We need to take a chance on them. Not many people have in the

past. I think together they would be an absolutely formidable duo.

I want to give Sammie and and Shaun and opportunity to prove themselves.

So, I'm going to put them in charge of party food - even if Sammie's mum

did say she can burn Cornflakes. My next team member is Don. He seems

ridiculously cool. Number one,'s Goth. I can't wait to rate his

gothness and see how much of a Dark Prince or Dark Lord he is. He is

only 23, so only a couple of years younger man me. Hello, Don's mum.

Can I come in? He lives with his mum. They worked together with the

local chippie. 18 months ago it changed hands. Since then they have

been finding it difficult to find work. Over 100,000 young people in

the UK have been on the dole for over six months. The first thing I

do when I come into somebody's room. I'm intrusive and nosey. I go toords

your CD collection. They were in alphabetical order. You are a man of

taste, the Cradle Of Filth and Foo Fighters. Korn. Hilary Duff. Oh,

come on? I listen to that. Everyone has to have one sin. I will give you

that. I don't want to be too hard. If you were to get a pay cheque now

from your first job, your first month's wages, what is the first

thing you would go out and buy? Really probably sort out - help my

mum out first. That means you are a good family man. It's the way I've

been brought up to be. My mum has been looking after me and I'm trying

to do my best to look after her. Tell me about Christmas at home? In

essence Christmas is not - it's just any normal day for us. Really never

had a lot of money to allow me to do anything special. Does that annoy

you? It does annoy me because I like to, like, you know get my mum a

little something for Christmas, just a piece of jewellery or something

like that and for my brother as well but at the end of the day, if you

haven't got it, you haven't got it, so...

# Santa only brought me the blues... #

Don is a complete legend. He is ridiculously positive. He has this

very, very bright outlook on life, which is fantastic. Nothing is going

to knock him back. Don's family are struggling to pay

the bills, so it's perfectly understandable he is panicking about

the Christmas presents. # Here comes Santa Claus... #

Mismum loves jewellery but sadly had to sell some of hers to make ends

meet after losing her job, so he wants to bring the bling back to his

mamma. He has the job of being head of our Christmas presents. I want

him to be resourceful to get his mum a good gift. Shaun, Sammie and Don

are a good support. They'll need logistical support. I was looking at

a CV website and discovered my next volunteer, Martin, a recent graduate

from university. He is hoping not to become one of the almost one in ten

who is still unemployed six months after leaving university. Now he is

back in the homestead outside Bristol, in the bustling metropolis

that is Alveston. So we are in your hood right now. It is lifeline,

really, isn't it? # Have yourself a merry little

Christmas... # There is not a whole lot to do.

This, where we are going now is the central bit of salveston with the

rank of jobs and up there there is a What's On board. Shant Facebook.

Yes. Let's go check it. Normally a couple of things. The other week

there was a cheese and whiny thing. I think it is perhaps for somebody

older than me. It sounds good. You could meet some desperate

housewives. I quote verbatim "There is lots

going on here... ." It is old. You have Litter Busters, although

probably good for the community, you know, is not the riveting evening

you might want to spend out and B the youth centre is really for the

scouts and stuff. If I started going to the Beavers and Cubs it might be

frowned upon a little bit. There is not a whole lot to do. I reckon we

need to utilise big Martin's skills. We can't let that physics degree of

his go to waste, he could be an asset to our party. I'm the layman,

when you say nuclear I automatically think Mr Burns. Maybe, who knows, I

could be in charge of a power mravenlt I have applied to a couple

of places which seems to have links to a new generation of reactor. I

would love to see that, down the job centre - what jobs ark looking to

apply for? Well, I'd like to work in a nuclear power plant. Being stuck

in Alveston, snted Martin's only problem. He is also back home with

mum and dad. Your journey is considering to mine. I'm thinking

you are probably quite bored at home I'm 24, I feel fairly grown up. I've

lived five years independently and then coming home and there are rules

being set by other people. There have been a couple of clashes the

fist couple of weeks I have back. When was the last time your mum

asked you to tudy your room Constantly. It is a little bit

difficult. - tidy. If my mum gets too bothered she will tidy it, it is

infuriating. I know where the stuff was, in a pail on the floor at the

end of my bed. Now I have no idea where it is. We really need to get

Martin out of the house. He is going to be tasked with getting us our

awesome party venue. So, there you go, that's my team. We need a venue,

we need presents and we need food. And we're going to have to use all

the bargain-seeking brain power we've acquired on benefits. Fist up,

we've got food. I've heard about a community of foragers who could help

us get vegetables completely free. Gleaning is - I think Wikipedia

said, it Saud in brook beside it "also known as scrounging." Sammie,

Shaun and I are going gleaning. Apparently we can get food for our

party utterly free. Pumpkins and that you are must ugh liar cousins

the squash don't exactly scream party do they? However we've learned

of a farm with a few thousand going spare after Hallowe'en. Who saw that

will coming? Morning. Morning. How does it feel being up this early on

a Saturday morning. Have you ever been picking crops or anything on a

farm? No. What are you guys expecting from the farm? Loads of

sheet. Loads of veg. The farmers. Do we have to full veg out of sheet.

Why would somebody poo on a pumpkin? Can The Bristol group is led by

Maddy Longhurst. Gleaning goes a long way back from

history. It is where the society would come and take for themselves

what is left over. In modern terms, what it means as you can see,

thousands and thousands of tonnes of edible fruit and veg go to waste

every year. This contains tasty pumpkins and squashes left behind

after a buyer cancelled an order. Also, the workers who were

harvesting stopped for the season after their work permits ran out.

It's estimated up to 30% of crops grown in the UK are wasted for

similar reasons. What would happen to these pumpkins if you guys didn't

sort of take them and use them and distribute them the way you do

through your network? Mostly, it's just left to rot in the field. Time

to get some free food. When was the last time you put wellies on? Never.

This is going to be fun. Has anybody got any fairy liquid?

# R is for the rain dear perhapsing by the window pane

# I is for the icing on the cake as sweet as sugar Kane

# S is for the stocking on the chimney wall

# T is for the toys beneath the tree so tall

# M is for the mistletoe where everyone is kissed

# A is for the angels... # I'm getting impressed. They are

getting stuck N for two people who haven't been to a farm before, never

mind tasted pumpkins. They are going for it. If they kind of go in with

the same zeal that they have done for this today. I reckon this dinner

for benefits is going to be really good. This is what you don't get in

the supermarket. Looks like Sammie and Shaun have more in common with

their fellow gleaners than they thought. I'm aville tier. I'm also a

job seeker. I'm on JSA. I'm in the same situation, you know. I'm here

because I have the time. With, thank you for all the veg. You are very

welcome. Thank you so much for being here and helping us.

# Be good inane he'll bring you everything in your Christmas

alphabet #. What has been the overwhelming thing

for you? I can't believe how much pumpkins there were, thousands being

left to rot. This produced 1 # 1,500 tonnes of pumpkins and squashes.

Most will be given to people struggling to pay for their own

food. A few of them will be coming to our party? We'll have pumpkin

soup and chips and for dessert we'll have pumpkin pie.

So, as long as everyone at our party has a taste for pumpkin, we'll be

fine. But we still need a venue. I've heard about an event in Wales

which might give us some inspiration. Luckily, Martin, my

head of entertainment, has his own wheels.

He bought the car at mates' it's rates off his broemplt it's the

perfect opportunity for a party research trip.

We are going to a day-time disco. -- off his brother. It is really for

people who can't afford to go out at the night-time. So they've put on a

cheaper, subsidised club. Sounds like good fun. You are driving in

Cardiff for a rave on a Monday. That's commitment to the cause. --

driving to Cardiff. Cardiff un Unemployed Daytime disco

has been going for three years and in its heyday had celebrity DJs.

When we arrived - well it's not exact exactly Skrillex DJing on a

yacht in Ibiza, is it, now? This is not what I expected at all.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it deaf fitly wasn't like this.

I think you can near Dub Reggae reverberate for about a radius of 14

miles from here. It's pretty loud. Yeah, I kind of - it was described

to me. I assumed it was going to be a nightclub unused in the day, as

owe supposed to a derelict club. You are giving it gravitas. It is a

derelict pub car park. Brom web Davies is the brains behind

the party. How did it get started? We had time on our hands. We didn't

have money it go out and enjoy ourselves. We thought of organising

something where people could go with no money and be creative and get

from 40 people up to about 100 people of all ages, affected by

unemployment. So how do you go about organising something like this? You

just find a venue and then just put it on Facebook or put posters up

inviting people along Like a lot of our performers are people who came a

long and asked if they could perform. So, just make it really

open to everybody and it'll just grow by itself. I don't really feel

Martin is getting into the spirit of things. It's certainly different. I

feel a bit uncomfortable here, to be honest.

It's not - I don't think it's me. Right, I have a dream. Here it is.

Do something similar in essence to this, but pull it off in a very

different way? I think the idea of something nice for unemployed

people, yeah, is a good idea, something to do during the day,

venues are available and not being used. I think that would be a good

idea. Martin is keen on the idea, as long as we get a venue that isn't a

derelict pub. Good luck with that Marty. My party crew are beginning

to get mobilised but Christmas isn't all that's on their minds. Don, my

head of present research has become a little preoccupied. Like all job

seekers, he has to apply for a certain number of jobs a we can or

his benefits don't get paid I have just been to a job interview in that

building just over there. So far, it went really W I've to go back

tomorrow for an induction, see how I do and they'll tell me there and

then whether you've got the job. Do you think you have got it? I reckon

I have. In the last 18 months, Don reckons he has applied for over 110

jobs and had seven interviews, none of which have led to permanent work.

Had the induction. Um, I reckoned it went really well. Unfortunately I

did not get the job at all. I was really gutted because with Christmas

coming up and all that, it would have been a really good place to

start. The next step is keep trying, keep looking for jobs and hopefully

one should come just before Christmas. Um, that's it.

Don had been hoping to buy his mum a piece of jewellery for Christmas.

I want to introduce him to someone who might be able to find something

to suit his non-existent budget. Nadia Medani makes jewellery out of

junk. Don has loads of it. It's called Upcycling. I want to know

more about it. What is it? Recycling but upcycling is taking it, not

turning it back into a raw material but turning that thing into

something different or better. Your job must be the best in the world

when it comes to Christmas. When you have to give out presents, you can

find something rummaging around the house and go - here you go, mum,

dad, centre sister, boyfriend, whoever. It is brillia. I try to

make different things every year. When I was on the dole I spent

forever making personalised mix tapes for lot of different people.

You know when you give it to them on Christmas day, they appreciate it

more. Yeah, and they know you have really thought about it and you have

put a bit of yourself into making a gift that you think someone will

enjoy. Nadia could be the woman to help Don make some festive jewellery

with his mum. If we pair Don with you, this could be a marriage made

in heaven. Hopefully we can find lots and bits of people and use them

in a different wakes maybe transform them or maybe something different.

We want to make a really great gift but hopefully keep the budget low

and use what we can find. Nice to meet you you,ed intoia. If I can

introduce Don to Nadia, I reckon we'll be steering him on the right

track. -- nice to meet you, Nadia. But first we need to sort out the

food. Sammie and Shaun are on their way to cooking lessons. We got the

pumpkins, now all we need to do is to turn them into a big, festive

feast. This is the Foodcycle Kitchen. They are a charity which

makes use of waste food and teaches job seekers how to cook. They are

learning to cook from scratch. Is this your first time in a kitchen,

kitchen? Yes Do you cook at home? No. ! I feel pumpkins may not be the

easiest place to start. Straight down there. There you go, point

down. Maybe start at the end closer to you. Watch your thumb there. Use

that hand to hold it firmly. Fucking hell.

Hard, isn't it? Oh, shit. There you go. Fucking hell - sorry.

Oh, fuck. You need a chainsaw to cut three one of these bad boys. I don't

like this. People think cooking is relaxing and that, it is not,

really? Once the pumpkins are cut, they add, oil, herbs and seasoning.

Gentleman probably done better than I thought. And me, I thought I was

going to screw the cutting up and everything. It was good fun. Yeah.

Later I will go home and say - Mas, look how I learned how to put these.

-- ma. No wonder she likes it so much. !

What do you think? I suppose so. I don't think Sammie is keen on

tasting the fruit of her labours. I'll try this one.

Urgh. Now it's boyfriend Shaun's turn.

Thankfully nobody else agrees. I think you do a very good job. I

would eat the full plate. Would you? I'm sure your families would eat it

too. Snool dig in. We're started on the food and nobody has lopped off a

limb or died of food poisoning. # Silent night

# Holy night... # Dom, we need a venue.

# Get this party started on a Saturday night

# Everybody's waiting for me to arrive ... #

Martin has got three venues to visit - option one is a converted barge

serving cider. Hi Martin. Rory. Nice to meet you. It's a bit of a local

Ince but doesn't usually accommodate DJs. It seems to have a lot of space

T seems to fill our needs. I could see evidence of a PA system. It

looks quite sort of interesting, a little bit different to the normal

places I have been. At ?50, it is cheap but it has no heating and this

is December. Option 2 - koesies is a wine cellar

in central Bristol, a cafe in daytime and a club at night. --

Cosies. Can I have a look around? It has its

own sound system and costs ?150. But the venue is going to need to be

decorated. Sammie and Shaun are heading to the charity shops to find

some bargains. Well, obviously to get things as cheap as we can.

Obviously we don't want to waste loads of money. Authorities spend

?13,000 decorating the House of Commons this year but my team are

thrift Lords spending as little as possible. ?2.99.

?2. All right then, thank you. Altogether, ?6. OK. All right then,

darling. That's good, isn't it? A A nice tree. Do you reckon it'll

be nice for the party? Probably. Way out of our price range. While they

were around the corner a better-value option magically

appeared Just got a new tree put up. Bigger than the last one that. The

last one was ?25. How much is this? ?8. That's cheap I might pick it up

and take it to the desk. You can't move it. It's lost a leg.

Sorry. LAUGHTER Sorry, my tree is stupid. Sorry. Hi.

LAUGHTER Did you want everything in it? Yeah.

?2 and then that will make it nicely up to ?10. Go on, then, please. All

right, thank you. That's really good. Bargain.

# Peculiar tin's found a firm

favourite. Option three - an awesome venue made up of three

interconnecting Yurts. A Yurt you say? Yes, it is a time of

Mongolian tent. The one in Bristol comes with its own coffee machine.

Martin wants to show us around. Talk us through the financials of

this? The place we are in now actually the more expensive option.

There is actually no fee to hire the loom but there is a minimum spend.

So really that is the fee. Of The Yurt is free to hire but they'd

expect us to spend ?350 at the bar - right. If that's not met, whoever is

organising the party, ie me, would have to cover the rest of that cost.

I mean that is a bit of a risk. I genuinely like this place. I think

this could work for our party. But the ?350 price to meet seems like

really, really steep. I think, you know, we were looking to have about

30 people coming to this party, which obviously then if you break

that down, it is only ?10 everybody has to spend each. It doesn't seem

wildly expensive to me. I generally think some people might find it

difficult to spend than amount of money and because we are putting a

party on for people who are unemployed we need to keep the costs

down as much as we possibly can. I'm trying to figure out, is there no

way, like we can go to the owner and try to haggle down. Go in with a

hand shake - spit in your hand, ?50 and that'll do us. Sadly, ?350 is

the best option the Yurt can make. Option two, the cellar was ?150.

Good value but ?1700 more than option one - the boat. If we could

get like heating for the boat, what do you think? That would be the

bested have -- but ?100 more. If you could imagine that, source

the heat, I think we'd have a lot of fun. Big Marte's physics degree is

coming in handy. He has a sophisticated solution to the

heating problem. Hats and gloves for everybody.

Going somewhere nice? Trying to keep a lot of people warm.

That's it, venue sorted. The The charities -- charity shops have done

us proud. Martin, Sammie and Shaun are making really good progress. I

want to get Don started on his jewellery project but he has called

to say he has more important things on his mind. I'm going to find out

what could possiblier more important than Christmas presents. What is up,

whoosh is going on? Basically, we've had a problem with the council.

According to them my mum hasn't been paying rent, which she says. So

something has gone wrong. What does that mean? ? It means, basically

that if we don't find a certain amount at a certain time we're going

to have to leave the premises but they have given us like a month. Are

you serious? Dead serious. Oh, pal, this is really annoying when things

like this happen, isn't it? Don's family are all on benefits and just

don't have the money to pay the bill. The worst part is, I've put

all the money I have into this house to make sure it doesn't happen. So

it's done my head right in. I can shout and scream until the

cows come home but the bottom line is, it's not going to help. Don's

family's precarious situation has made Christmas seem - a bit

insignificant, really. I can't really fathom what it must feel like

to, you know, lose your house. I just want to cry and give him a big

hug. All I want to do is give Don and his mum a big hug and go - look,

it's all going to be OK. But, I don't know whether that's true or

not. # It's Christmas so we'll starve

wine on our breath... # I'm keeping my fingers crossed for

Don but the party is really, really close and we need to keep on moving.

With you of we've go the is a load of pumpkins and squashes for our

party. Not enconvinced that will sustain a boat of cold, hungry

people, but we have no muvenlt I've heard about a teenager in Essex who

has thrifty supermarket stop shopping down to a fine art. He is

the hero we need to get us some party treats.

Couponing is finding a load of discounted coupons and taking them

into the supermarket and getting ?20 or ?30 off your shopping every week.

You sound like the most thrifty 16-year-old boy I have ever met.

Tell us about how the coupon has impacted your life? A massive change

to my life. I've saved nearly ?2,000 in the year I have been doing it and

that's given me like two holidays which we couldn't have afforded

otherwise. With the recession, times are tough. Any way you can save, I

try to. What the got you into it, initially? I have been doing it for

over a year. It stwarted because of my dad leaving us. So we were short

on money, and it wasn't from like a two-wage budget to a one-wage budge

eted. It was hard for us at that time. -- budget.

We needed to find some way to get ourselves out and treat ourselves to

things we used to be able to treat ourselves to before. Are you going

to coupon your mum's Christmas gift? I am. Last year I went about ?5 on

all the presents. I'm aiming to get under that this year.

Jordon keeps careful track of supermarket special offers and

combines the best of those with coupons to make the most significant

savings. So where do they come from? Where do you get them? Some are

online. You go on to a website and print them off. These ones year - I

have three, I was in the supermarket the other day and I found these on

the floor - these two screwed up on in a bull on the floor. Hold on, you

Tooley go about searching for old receipts. -- you actually. Yes, it's

called woman Bank of England. -- wombling.

Yes. It says, ?2.50 off your next shop. You pick up ?2.50 off the

floor, why not this? You, my friend are a Godsend to this party. Please

tell me you are coming? Yeah, I'd love to come.

# All day long we will be wombling in the snow

# We wish you a Wombling merry Christmas." What have you goted?

There is one here, someone withdrew money #23r their bank account. That

was on the bottom, 50p off. And that is valid next week, ?5 off your next

shop. None of the major supermarkets would let us film inside. They said

they were "too busy" on a Sunday. Maybe they don't like extreme

couponers. I got ?48 worth of items for ?2.32. That's insane. Bump me.

We are not beat yet. In order to get the most out of couponing, you need

to visit different shops. So we're hitting up another supermarket. That

was pretty impressive. We have got our swag. We have got our food for

the party. I'm happy. I don't know how you have done T It wasn't my

best saving. I got it for 2p. I didn't want it pay at all, to be

honest. I know you don't. It pains you. I can seat anger in your eyes

when you handed over the 2p. How much would it cost without any

coupons? Without any sales, it should have come to about ?40. After

sales, ?21 and after my coupons, 2p. We had to run back and buy more

products, otherwise Sainsbury's would have owed us money. I felt I

was going to get harangued by the security guards on the way out. They

were going to grab me and bring me into the office. It sort of felt we

were stealing. No, it's legal. I think I might cry a little bit Come

here. Come here. # Since its Christmas let's be

friends # Even if your life's been bad

# There are presents to be had # Don has bigger things on his mind

than Christmas. I think he needs cheering up. I'm hoping this present

idea will help. I want to talk to you about your mum's Christmas

present. There is woman in Bristol who can make jewellery out of

anything. Awesome. What jewellery does your mum like? What shapes? So

anything from normal to weird and wonderful. That would be quite

awesome. Don throws himself into the task of finding things to make into

jewellery. What is that? Don, that's moss. I'm not really convinced this

is the best place to look, to be honest. What have you got? Acorns.

What, your mum is going to like an acorn necklace? It wool be cool and

different. Don needs expert help. I'm getting out of the way. I'm no

help. I'm sending in the cavalry. Nadia is heading to Don's place.

Hello. Don's family aren't the richest but they have lots of stuff.

Can you make a pile of stuff we might be able to use. It is what

they need to make the perfect gift. That could be a good idea. What are

they? I don't know. No idea what it is or what it is from. What about

these buttons? Yes. They have been stuck there for what looks like a

millennium. Take the bell-bit out. It is quite a cool shape. It is.

Upstairs you have Don's room. A cave of unusual treasure.

That's for something. There is plenty of material, I think we can

all agree that. But still no chain. Off to our favourite source of

bargains. So we are thinking of getting this

one, yeah. How much is this one? Only ?3. Is that manageable, do you

reckon? I think it is very manageable.

I'm ridiculously nervous. What are we going to do if nobody turns up?

What if it is me, Sammie, Shaun, Martin, Don, Don's mum and that's it

snl what do we do? Just sit around and eat like, what, four plates of

food each? Today is Sammie and Shaun's big challenge. They are in a

community kitchen preparing all the food.

# Chest nuts roasting on an open fire... #

It is their first time cooking, probably ever, never mind for like a

big group of people T might be a case of handkerchief in one hand,

polite nod going - mm, lovely food. The cooking is happening today

because we really need their decorating expertise tomorrow. You

guys ark looking like pros in comparison to the first time Watch

this, watch this, yeah! I've got the hang of this. OK, sleeves up, I'm

getting stuck in. There is no way to put one of these hats on and not

look kind of stupid. What do you think? I don't see what is so funny,

you are wearing the exact same hat. You look worst than us. Look in a

mirror. I didn't come here to get mocked. I came to make food. You are

so casual. With a casual lean - I'm just hanging out and making some

pumpkin sou. A natural Saturday for me. Obviously most of our food is

pumpkin-based. Pumpkin-soup to keep people warm. Roast pumpkin and, you

guessed t festive mince pie with pumpkin. Price per head, ?1.60 and

in case the chefs refused to eat their own food, a butcher did us a

deal on some cheap meat. Price per head, ?1.66. It's Don's moment of

truth. He is withed into why in her studio. They are going to make

jewellery for Don's mum out of the objects they've collected. Is there

anything you think in that pile that would go well. If this isn't used

maybe one of these bells could. We might be able to bend some a little

bit. They don't necessarily have to stay in their shape or as a bell. We

want to try to take them off presumably, first. Do you want to

give it a go? I think the lightbulb has hit the brain. You know like one

of those cartoons, like a character who has an idea and a lightbulb

comes up. I think these are Prettiy. What is it, a dog toy I honestly

don't know. Is that a starting be point? What do you think about that,

something to hang on there? Maybe a few of my acorns might help. They

are sprouting. Oh my God, cool. Is that a good thing? Well, you don't

want to give your mum a pair of earrings that are going to carry on

growing, do you? How do you stop them growing? The acorn is going to

hang in the centre. These are drills? Hand drills. Where

did you get them? At a car boot. He has decided to put the acorn in the

centre of the bell and turn two other bells into earrings. That

looks good. I cannot see what they look like. I'm trusting you. You

look lovely. I'm sure my mum will as well I think they look brilliant. I

hope your mum will like them. I know she will. I'm pleased with them, I

know it is from my mum and I made them for her. But it is time I open

opened another, in essence side of myself, something I can do.

Everyone's rate -- raiding their wardrobe for a party outfit I'm

wearing my Christmas onsie bus it is a Christmas party. Don is getting

painted up in his best Goth gear. He has an expert to give him a hand.

# Santa Claus # Goes straight to the ghetto

# Hitch up your reindeer # And go straight to the ghetto

# Fill every stocking you find # The kids are going to love you so

# Never thought I'd realise... # All right? I think he looks lush.

I'm going aboard our ?50 party boat for the very first time. This is

good. I like it. Nice, loads of space. High five on that one. Nice

space. That's where I want to be DJing. Good table. Head of the boat

There is only two logical ways a party like this can end. If it goes

belly-up and is awful I'm going to make you walk the plank and if it g

ry ridiculously well, we take the anchor off and sail into the sunset

and party all night. Let's move it over, watch, watch,

watch. I don't know how Santa is going to

feel about this. Who cares. Bend like the top bit over.

You are pulling off the ones I put on it.

It is a bit heavy. What does a pig sitting on a toilet

have to do with Christmas? That is the weirdest tree I have

ever seen. I I think it has got five different creative angles going into

it Got a lot on it. Price per head, 53p.

Jordon turns up with ?1.34 worth of food.

Price per head - 5 p. The others are ridiculously impressed with her

swag. Would you consider getting on the coupon business? You are like

the new Robin Hood. I would. People are starting to turn up. I'm

freaking out. All is not well in my world. Because the boat doesn't

normally have DJs we've hired in our auto equipment for ?25. Why is there

no flippin sound coming out? My eyeballs are about to pop out of my

head. Everybodies else has done everything right. They'vek kood up

the food. Martin has found the venue, Don has been a legend and I'm

letting everyone down now with the music. All I need is a Christmas

miracle. #4 -- a Christmas miracle. Just in

time for me to welcome some of the members of Sammie's family.

# I'll be so blue thb this Christmas # Without you #

Don's mum is here and so a Bronwen from the original job seekers party.

And we have some Bristollian job seekers.

Check this out guys, Sammie and Shaun have made us food for the day.

This is our Christmas feast. Yeah, come on, give it up for Sammie and

Shaun. Do you like pumpkin, Maggie? I do, actually. Thank God for that.

There's pumpkin pies. Pumpkin soup. I'm sorted then. Have you tasted any

of your produce? No, but I'm excited to. What do you know, one of the

gleaners is here. You probably picked that one yourself. Now it is

my turn. I'm hoping it is not going to be some sort of pumpkin vomcano.

That's delicious. I made that. It's so good. Compliments to the chef.

The guests like it, too. Well done, dude. Nice one. I'm not doing it

again. Maybe pick a different vegetable. With mulled cider keeping

everyone warm at ?1.50 per head, no-one has needed the hats or

gloves. This gives us a total party cost of ?9. .33 per head for 30

guests. But there's one important job left.

Nadia has been helping me and we've made you a piece of jewellery. Ahhh.

Out of home stuff. How lovely. I have it here. So, merry Christmas,

mum. Oh, they're gorgeous. Oh.

You are a sweetheart. Thank you very much.

You might think those look familiar. I do but I don't get out. If you

remember rightly, those were the bells sat on your green thing. We

have been stuck there for ages. I thought - I'm going to make

something out of that. Actually, I missed them the other day. I thought

- where have they gone? Do I look nice? Of course. Nice one. You are

not just saying you like them, you genuinely do? No, it is different, I

love different. I refuse to grow old. Thank you very much. You are

the best boy in the world. And thank you, little lady, for helping him.

You are welcome, pleasure. All that remains is for me to whack on the

tunes and get everybody moving Listen, let's have a dance.

It was fantastic. The fact we got most for cheap or even free, even

better. The look on Don's mum's face made it definitely worth it. The

food was really nice. How do you feel? Really, really

well. She said yes. Yes. Can it be a

future in cooking for the pair of you? It could be. I want to know,

what you really thought of the party? Don't say good if you didn't

think it was good? Honestly, it was really awesome.

I want to wish you all the best of luck next year, genuinely from my

heart, I really do. We have to bump T we have been bumping it the whole

way through. The whole point was to do it cheap. It was amazing to see

from my side - as a student for a long time, you have to be thrifty.

But they have certainly showed me I was throwing money around as a

student. There is a way to have fun and spend literally nothing.

Dude, bring it in, it's been massive. Come on, give me a hug. It

kind of reminds me that being on benefits, you could easily be broke

and it is hard to pick yourself back up and have a positive attitude

going back into getting work. That's why I think there are lots of people

who give up, that are on benefits who have been trying for years and

years, and they can't see light at the end of the tunnel. You know,

like, I was lucky, I had a break and I worked for it and stuff. And I'm

just kind of hoping that they get that same break that I got. Because,

they more than deserve it. # Here it is

# Merry Christmas # Everybody's having fun

# Look to the future now # It's only just begun #