SOME Christmas cheer is being spread to those facing Christmas alone in Stratford.
Staff at Loxleys on Sheep Street are putting together hampers packed with festive goodies to be distributed to pensioners who live alone, or to those who receive income support.
The hampers include everything from soups to coffee and chocolates, as well as a note from Loxleys staff who have been spending their breaks putting them together.
They are then passed to Warwickshire County Council’s adult social care team which distributes them to those in need.
The restaurant first put together the hampers last year after Age UK warned nearly a million people over 65 would be spending Christmas alone.
Manager Jonathan Lea said: “For most of us, Christmas is full of fun, family and festive celebrations but for some people it’s incredibly lonely.
“We started our hamper idea as a way of spreading some of the Christmas cheer we see in Loxleys throughout December with those who might otherwise miss out.
“For privacy and data protection reasons we don’t actually get to know who specifically receive our hampers but we’re safe in the knowledge that they are going to a good home distributed by social services.”
