UP to 50 people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day will spend it together this year at a unique charity event.

Wantage charity champion Ray Collins is organising a slap-up Christmas dinner for the lonely and isolated at Wantage Day Centre.

Waitrose Wantage will supply £1,000 worth of turkey, trimmings, Christmas pudding, custard, sherry and trifle.

Mr Collins is even hoping to send his diners home with a goodie bag at the end.

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More than 15 people have already volunteered to help out on the day, including the centre’s two chefs, who will cook up the feast.

Now Mr Collins, who manages Peter Ledbury electricals in Grove Street, just needs his guests.

The 45-year-old has 15 people already but wants Wantage residents to nominate up to 35 more.

The Springfield Road resident said: “This is for the people who would ordinarily be alone on Christmas or wouldn’t celebrate it at all.

“These are generally the people who would be the last to put themselves forward. Maybe it’s your neighbour who you know could benefit from some entertainment at Christmas.”

Volunteer drivers will pick diners up from home and take them to the Garston Lane centre for a drinks reception at 11am. They will then tuck into the seasonal spread and make merry and get a lift home again at about 3pm.

They will be serenaded by local musicians including banjo and ukulele player Howard Hill and singer/songwriter Eloise Rees.

Mr Collins added: “It’s a few hours out of our day but it could mean a lot to them. Hopefully it will be something to remember and something we can do year after year.”

The idea was originally cooked up by Waitrose partner co-ordination manager Rachel Green. Each year the supermarket runs a campaign to end loneliness, and last year served Christmas dinner to more than 40,000 people across the UK.

Mrs Green, who lives in Stanford in the Vale, said: “Christmas is a time for families to get together and I thought it would be nice to get a group of people who would normally be on their own at Christmas.”

She contacted Mr Collins, who in turn contacted Wantage Day Centre, and the ball was rolling.

She said: “To be able to do it on Christmas day is wonderful because it means even more.”

To nominate a neighbour from Wantage, Grove or surrounding villages, call in on Mr Collins at Peter Ledbury or call him on 01235 762512.

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