Over 120 volunteers and carer respite and befriending clients came together to celebrate Christmas and enjoy a splendid Christmas lunch at the Moreton Fire College. The tables were beautifully set with edible displays of satsumas and mince pies. The Ladies of the Moreton Craft & Chat group had done an amazing job knitting Christmas decoration gifts for everyone and these had also been used to decorate the Cotswold Friends Christmas Tree festival entry. We were even treated to a visit from Santa who cheerfully distributed the raffle prizes to the lucky winners. Our thanks go to Martin Grasby, who donated vouchers for both an accupuncture treatment and a Bowens treatment, to George at Asda who donated two lovely sets of children’s clothing and a ladies dress, and to the Moreton Show who donated a family ticket for this year’s event. Thanks also to everyone else who kindly donated items to the cause.

The Cotswold Friends ‘Ladies in Red’ choir (a group of friends who sing in different choirs but came together to sing for us on the day) performed a series of lovely festive songs to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. We all enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch, of turkey dinner or chickpea parcel with all the trimmings, followed by a choice of yummy puds. With teas and coffees and mince pies to finish, everyone went away full! It was lovely to see so many people getting together for a chat and a socialise at what can be a challenging time of year for anyone experiencing loneliness or isolation. All our Befriending and Carer Respite clients who were unable to attend received a Christmas bag full of lovely treats, many donated by the new Aldi store in Moreton.

Thanks go to the Moreton Fire College and their staff for doing a brilliant job in staging the event for us (we loved your Christmas outfits!) and to the Freemasons whose generous donation covered the costs for the day.