Caring youngsters at a Cleator Moor school have been serving up dinner for the town’s senior citizens.

Pupils at Montreal School held their first lunch for older people, with a performance from the school choir.

The lunches, which will be provided once a term, are designed to reduce loneliness in the community and give pensioners somewhere to socialise.

“Because it’s quite a rural area, there’s a big issue with transport,” said Becky Goddard, the new community connections worker with Age UK in West Cumbria. “People can go for weeks on end without seeing another person. It’s quite sad.”

Alongside the school lunches, Age UK is holding other events to help older people in the town to get out and about.

Miss Goddard said: “We’ve set up reminiscence coffee mornings. “They run on the first Thursday of every month, in the library from 10am to noon.

“Each month we’re doing something a little bit different. We’ve had the local records office coming with old maps of the area, and old photos and censuses.

“On May 4 a local historian, Vera Lowry, will be giving a talk.”

Every Wednesday the town’s bowls club is hosting sessions for older people from noon until 2pm. They can try out the sport and have coffee, biscuits and a chat afterwards.

The lunches, reminiscence coffee mornings and weekly bowling sessions cost £2.

Age UK is recruiting volunteer befrienders to call in on people who are on their own.