Woman organises Christmas dinner for lonely people

Martina Osei-Bobie, 41, of Priors Close, Upper Beeding, has teamed up with a number of other residents to organise a date, venue and food for the Christmas Day feast.

The lunch will take place at the Gladys Bevan Hall, in Church Lane, Upper Beeding, at 12pm on Christmas Day and anyone who is finding this time of year to be challenging is invited to attend.

Martina said: “I initally thought of hosting the lunch for people who are lonely this Christmas but we are also appealing to couples and families who may be interested.

“It’s not a charity but just a group of people from the community wanting to do something to help others during the Christmas period.

“The people who have volunteered have agreed to give up some of their time on Christmas Day and some of Christmas Eve in order to help out with the lunch.”

Martina initially appealed for volunteers via a post on a local Facebook group.

The post received hundreds of comments from people willing to provide a helping-hand before and on the day.

Martina added: “The reaction the post got was incredible.

“I just had an idea, put it into action. I had lots of people offering to help and local businesses happy to donate food.

“I then began looking for a venue to host the dinner and that is when the Gladys Bevan Hall became the best option.”

Martina, who was born in the Czech Republic before moving to England 22 years ago, is trying to appeal to a wide range of ages.