2018 marks the twelfth time that Core Church have served up a free dinner on Christmas Day at Melksham Assembly Hall for anyone who wants to join them.
Every year, new people come along to enjoy the feast either as guests or helpers. We spoke to some people who have spent several Christmas Days at Melksham Assembly Hall to find out why.
Matt Smith, local resident and father of two said, “We love going to the Christmas dinner because the atmosphere is brilliant. It’s very well organised and the people are welcoming and friendly. There are things for our children to do, so all four of us really enjoy it.”
A retired couple who have been attending for many years said, “It’s not that we can’t afford to have our own Christmas dinner at home, but why cook a whole turkey just for the two of us to sit and eat it in front of the telly when we can go to the Assembly Hall and have a lovely time with other people sharing a Christmas dinner that’s just as good as the one we would have made.”
Simon Chaplin has become a regular fixture on the team of helpers. He said, “I got involved because I find the pressure to have a good time at Christmas difficult and helping others helps me.”
“Simon is a hard worker,” said Gavin Owen of Core Church, “He’s happy to muck in with everything. We’re always delighted when he gets in touch to say he’s coming along again.”
Another regular helper explained that he first heard about the event from a member of staff at Trowbridge Tourist Information Centre. “I thought it sounded like a great way to spend Christmas Day, in the company of others, welcoming the guests and generally helping out. Everyone I have spoken to afterwards said they thoroughly enjoyed it and numbers keep increasing, which goes to show there is more to Christmas Day than opening presents.”
“It’s never too late to join us,” said Gavin, “Last year we had ten more people book in the last few days before Christmas and there’s always plenty of food. Every year there are people who tell me this is the first time they’ve been and they were very nervous about coming, but when they arrived they either saw people they already knew or quickly made some new friends.
“If you’ve been thinking about coming along or someone else has been telling you that you should, just give me a call or text me on 07788 446567 and get yourself booked-in, you’ll be glad you did.”
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