The community came together with festive spirit to give elderly people of Hayes a Christmas dinner in the company of friends.

Diners were treated to turkey with all the trimmings at Hayes Rugby Club, on Sunday, December 20, thanks to a 'phenomenal' response from the public.

Married couple and managers of the club, Juli and Hayden Critchfield, thought of the idea 'spur of the moment', thinking about how heart-breaking it is that so many older people will sit down alone this Christmas.

Mrs Critchfield said: “As we all know, loneliness can be a year-round issue affecting older people, it can be felt even more keenly at Christmas – a sentimental time often associated with gathering with friends and family.

“We wanted to show older people we do care and make sure they know there are invites waiting this Christmas.”

Mrs Critchfield used social media to reach out and donations and helpers, with a 'phenomenal' response.

Meadow School supplied transport to and from the venue, The Fabric Warehouse, in Uxbridge, donated table arrangements and Options catering company provided cutlery.

'Huge thank you'

Hayden and Juli Critchfield

Karen Franey, who used to work at Meadow School, saw Juli's plea on social media and asked her old employer to lend a helping hand.

She said: “I wanted to help out - I have an elderly mother myself.

“It meant getting those people that wouldn't have been able to get there otherwise. We were quite happy to give up our time on a Sunday to help.”

Ms Franey described the atmosphere on the day as “absolutely great”.

She said: “All of the residents that we took were full of praise.

“As one of the ladies said, she would have had to have got the bus and then a long walk. Without the minibus she doesn't know if she'd have been brave enough to go out by herself.

“They all seemed to enjoy themselves and it was really rewarding to see that all these people had managed to get out and have a Christmas meal.

“Juli did a fantastic job in bringing the community together.”

Mr and Mrs Critchfield want to say a “huge thank you” to all the volunteers who gave up their free time, and hope to do it all again next year.

She said: “The main person we would like to say a huge thank you to is Mr Terry Cross who was a major contributor towards our day.

“Without him there would have been no dinner to be able serve to our wonderful residents.

“This was such a success and achievement that we cannot wait till next years dinner.”