Kind-hearted roofer organises Christmas meal for 120 pensioners in this Lancashire village

Ged Donnelly, who lives in Walmer Bridge, decided to do something for elderly residents in his village and surrounding areas 12 months ago, after hearing about an elderly gentleman who had spent the previous Christmas alone.

Ged’s friend, Roger Price, said: “This epitomised the difficulties some of our senior citizens face, with COVID, cost of heating and energy, and cost of living in general. Some older folk are lonely and there is was a general feeling that a lot of folk have had a hard time of late.”

Ged led the way in organising a get-together at Walmer Bridge Village Hall, which was attended by 90 people from Walmer Bridge, Little Hoole, Longton and Much Hoole. Roger said: “The event went fabulously and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves with lots of positive feedback. People made new friends, and connected with old ones they hadn't seen in decades.”

Ged said: “It's to give people something to smile about.”, and this year, with help from local businesses and fellow villagers, he’s organised another, bigger event, taking place at the village hall from 3-5pm on Saturday, December 13.

A full turkey Christmas dinner will be on offer, followed by a dessert and soft drinks. In addition, there will be entertainment in the form of Christmas music, and a local musician has offered to perform with her Ukulele free of charge. There will a raffle - tickets to be bought by attendees - with some prizes donated and others bought from cash donations. Their will also be bingo available and a licenced bar available to attendees to purchase drinks from.

All the produce and Christmas trimmings, including crackers, have been provided by local businesses, together with several cash donations from local residents including visiting friends from as far away as Northern Ireland and Spain.

The funding

Roger said: “We probably have this year covered and any residue cash will be split between a yet-to-be-confirmed local charity, the Walmer Bridge Village Hall - which is itself a registered charity - as it is owned by the village and run by a committee. And any left over cash will be saved for next year.

“We may well need new sponsors next year. But if anyone wished to donate cash they could post it through the Village Hall letterbox in an envelope marked 'For Ged's Christmas Community Event'.

Attending

All 120 numbered tickets for the event have been taken. Those who are attending are asked to bring their ticket with them on the day.