The Huntingdonshire Volunteer Centre (HVC) has ensured residents in St Ives spending Christmas Day alone this year are not forgotten by organising special Christmas dinner deliveries.
Bags full of goodies and a traditional Christmas dinner were prepared and delivered to more than 62 people in St Ives and the surrounding villages, all on Christmas Day (December 25).
Each year, HVC usually organise a sit-down dinner to bring people together who are alone at Christmas, but because Covid hasn't yet entirely gone away, HVC decided to arrange deliveries to bring Christmas to their homes instead.
Organiser Debbie Windsor, the St Ives area manager for Huntingdonshire Volunteer Centre, said: "I speak to all the clients to get them booked for a dinner, and clients have literally had me close to tears just because they are so grateful.
"It gives them something to look forward to on Christmas Day because they might have family living away, or their partners have passed away, and they live by themselves.
"Things like that are just so rewarding that you can actually help people that don’t really have anybody.”
This was the 13th year of HVC's initiative, and it was helped made possible this year thanks to several groups and organisations, including the "fabulous" cooks at St Ives Free Church URC, who prepared the meals.
Buckingham Foods and Tesco Huntingdon made food donations, The Star Crafters group knitted blankets to go with the delivery, and St Ives Town Council supported the preparations to make it a success.
There were more than 30 volunteers, and other helpers went out and prepared the goodie bags with token gifts like tea, coffee and cakes, with the Mayor of St Ives, Cllr Philip Pope, even lending a hand on the day.
There were 15 drivers to then deliver the packages in what was a whole community effort.
Debbie added: “It’s amazing. I was inundated with emails and messages from people who wanted to volunteer on Christmas Day.
"It’s absolutely incredible; it really brings the community together as well, which I love.”
HVC supports volunteers and voluntary organisations and is always looking for people to join and help with their initiatives, such as its Community Car Scheme, which provides transport for clients.
To volunteer to be a driver, contact stives@huntvc.org.uk for more information and a registration form.
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