A temporary Crisis at Christmas centre will be open in Edinburgh on Christmas Day and Boxing Day with centres also set to open across London, Coventry, Birmingham and Newcastle. As well as warmth, companionship and hot meals, guests can access much needed wellbeing services and specialist advice on housing, work and benefits. Everyone from hairdressers to caterers, performers to podiatrists, are needed.

Crisis Skylight centre Edinburgh is run by hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life. This year the centre is particularly urging chefs, entertainers and workshop leaders to offer up their skills.

Registration is now open at crisis.org.uk/volunteer, with a huge variety of roles on offer, including:

Long-term Crisis at Christmas volunteer Kerry Smith said: “I started volunteering at Crisis five years ago after signing up as a general volunteer. Giving a little bit of my time to help others felt like the right thing to do.

“From the second I walked in I knew I had made the right decision. Seeing all the services available to those who needed it most and the enormous part the volunteers play in making it all happen blew me away.”

With 34,100 people making homelessness applications to Scottish local authorities in 2016-17 and many waiting for permanent housing, more and more people are turning to Crisis at Christmas to use the basic amenities their temporary accommodation simply can’t provide.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, added: “Without our volunteers, Crisis at Christmas simply wouldn’t exist to help provide a warm, safe place to those with nowhere to call home.

“It’s because of their generosity that we can bring thousands of people friendship, support, and life-changing services each and every Christmas.

“And though we work all year round to help people experiencing homelessness – we know that the Christmas season should be a special time for everyone and that no one should have to spend it alone.

“So as our charity turns 50, we will work harder than ever to make homelessness a thing of the past. And until then our volunteers will remain at the heart of what we do.”