Formby festive feast on Christmas day for lonely older people

THE spirit of Christmas will be alive and well at this year's Formby Community Christmas Dinner, as good food, good cheer and good company will all be in ample supply. A community organisation in Formby have set up free Christmas lunches for lonely older people in the area, who might otherwise have nowhere to go. With the festive period fast approaching, places are filling up quickly for Formby Hub's Christmas Day dinner. Formby Hub is hosting the festive feast for older people in Formby Hightown and Ince Blundell at the Luncheon Club on Rosemary Lane. The dinner is open to older people, particularly people who live alone. Formby Hub, which has been spearheaded by Formby Area Partnership under the chairmanship of Ravenmeols councillor Catie Page, is an initiative designed to help eradicate loneliness and isolation among the town's older residents. Cllr Page said the Christmas Day dinner will help people in our communities. Cllr Page said: “Christmas can be a really difficult time for lots of people. Here in Formby, Ince Blundell and Hightown, there are people who live alone. There are those who have lost people. ”A recent BBC survey found that 28% of British adults feel lonely at some time - a significant number of those are aged 65 and over and expect to spend Christmas on their own. “No one should be on their own at Christmas and Formby Hub wanted to do something about that. So we are hosting a Christmas Day dinner so that we could bring some Christmas cheer to people who may need it most. ”But I want to make this clear; this isn't charity, it is community. “This is a community event designed to be a festive community celebration. Individuals, couples or people with their carers will all be welcome. ”I, together with my Formby Hub colleagues, including Rev Maclolm Dyer and Jean Jones, will be serving the food on the day and we just hope we get a lot of people coming along to join the fun.“ Jean urged people to book early. Jean said: ”We obviously need to know numbers in advance of the dinner so we can get the food ready and to make sure that there is space in the Luncheon Club. We already have a list of people, some of whom came along to last year's Christmas Day dinner and who enjoyed it so much they wanted to come back. “People can call up to book a place for yourself, or you can nominate a friend or relative. you just need to give me a call to book the places. ”This year' event has been sponsored by Tesco, which is very kind of them. “The meal will start at 12noon, with transport provided, and it will finish at 2.30pm so you can get home just in time for the Queen's speech.” For further information about Formby Hub's Christmas Day dinner, and to check availability, call Jean Jones on 01704 877444.