Special deliveries of festive cheer - and food and drink - for the lonely this Christmas

The Find A Friend Christmas Dinner initiative has been running since 2015, but has had to change due to coronavirus restrictions.

It was the brainchild of father-of-one Lewis Buller, who saw a Bisto 'Spare Chair Sunday' campaign and decided to ask on his Facebook profile whether anyone locally would be prepared to help those on their own at Christmas.

He said he woke up the next morning to dozens of notifications, and in the past five years, the scheme has grown and grown.

Along with Karen Taylor, and Claire Hewitson's family from Leyland as well as an army of volunteers, Lewis has worked with up to 70 people each Christmas, inviting those without friends or family to enjoy a hot Christmas dinner with others in the same position.

Lewis and his son Alfie - who was seven when the scheme started - have given up their Christmas day for the cause, but say they "love it".

In recent years, the dinner, which has turned into a party, has taken place at the Blue Anchor in Bretherton, with attendees mini-bused in and given hampers, gifts and another meal to take home.

But social distancing regulations this year mean the party of previous years has had to be cancelled. Instead, 57 lonely people will be receiving deliveries to their door of a Christmas dinner, a hamper of essentials and gifts.

Lewis, 34, from Lostock Hall, said: "From the first time we did it, it became apparent that it was something that had to happen every year.

"One man said to me that if we didn't do this, then he'd be sat at home on Christmas Day, eating a tin of ravioli.

"To see the look on people's faces is amazing."

This year people whose contact details have been on Lewis' database, or have contacted him making an enquiry, will receive a time slot for a delivery of their cooked Christmas dinner, a hamper and bag of gifts, including a mini bottle of prosecco and wine.

Lewis said: "We usually put luxuries in the hamper, like stollen and chocolate and all the things the doctor says you shouldn't eat, but this year we've gone for essentials.

"There's things like toothpaste, toilet roll and a lot of tinned goods that people can have in their cupboard incase they can't easily get out or have to isolate.

"It's like a foodbank to the door, but I don't really like the term foodbank because it's not about money. We could have a multi-millionaire who is lonely and deliver to them. It's letting people know that hundreds of people are thinking about them this Christmas."

Those hundreds of people include the volunteers organising the hampers and deliveries, businesses who have donated goods and cash, members of Leyland Round Table who have donated £500, and the ordinary members of the public who have donated more than £1,000 on a Justgiving site.

Lewis added: "Without all of these people helping, it wouldn't be possible to do what we do, so I want to thank them all."