Ilkley and District Good Neighbours has had one of its busiest months in the run up to the festive period.
In addition to its popular Christmas Parcels Project which provided over one hundred personal gifts to older residents, and a Christmas Coffee Morning, the charity has also organised two special festive lunches for over sixty people.
“Many of the guests who attended the Christmas lunches live alone, which can result in feelings of loneliness and isolation.” said charity trustee and organiser Anita Dunford. “Our lunch events, which were held over two weeks, enabled our older residents to meet up with other people, to share a meal and a few hours of jovial conversation. The aim of our social events is to alleviate loneliness, improve individual quality of life, and to maintain or increase social interaction. Getting people together in this kind of setting really helps.
“The venue for the Christmas lunch events was the recently refurbished restaurant at Audley Clevedon Retirement Village, which was decked out with Christmas decorations and ideal for the large number we catered for. The food was delicious, and we would like to thank all those concerned in helping to provide a festive occasion for an appreciative group of deserving people.
“The funding for this event and the Christmas lunches came from donations from Ilkley Round Table for which we are extremely grateful.”