A SPECIAL Christmas Day party will bring festive cheer to those who are lonely over the holidays.

Dozens of volunteers will be clubbing together to put on a meal and entertainment at Cleator Moor Civic Hall for people across the area.

More than 50 people made their way to the free party last year.

The lunch, with music and entertainment, is being supported by Whitehaven and District Lions, Age UK, Whitehaven Castle Rotary Club, Whitehaven Rotary Club and Whitehaven Soroptimists.

Volunteers will be giving up their time to cook, and chauffeur the lunch guests, who tend to be aged 50-plus, to and from Cleator Moor Civic Hall.

This is the seventh year the meal has been held at Cleator Moor since the United Reformed Church stopped providing the service.

Bill Morley, of the Cleator Moor Civic Hall and West Cumbria Freemasons, said that the event was about sharing and the spirit of Christmas.

“It’s a time of year when nobody should have to be alone, but unfortunately some people are,” said Bill. “It’s a brilliant event which shows how kind and giving people are, because that’s what the spirit of Christmas is all about.”

Peta Leigh, the active living manager at Age UK, said: “I think as the issue of loneliness is very prevalent in the news at the minute, people are more prepared to speak up and not be on their own this Christmas time.

“People come to us for a variety of reasons, maybe they live too far from their family and can’t travel, or the friends they have all year will be going to their own families over the holidays so will be alone.

“It is a really jolly day out and everyone who attends gets a goodie bag of mince pies and Christmas cake to take home after the meal.”

n For more information or to arrange a lift in the minibus which has wheelchair access, call Peta on 01946 66669.