Guests at Marlborough’s Christmas Day lunch in Marborough Town Hall were full of praise and appreciation for the organisers, sponsors and volunteers who had created such a wonderful lunch and afternoon for them. The alternative would have been to spend Christmas Day alone.
Nigel and Joy Kerton started Marlborough’s Christmas Day Lunch in 2002 after hearing about a Marlborough resident who had been alone with a tin of salmon and a piece of bread on Christmas Day. The family have carried on the tradition with granddaughter, Vicky Ellis, now at the helm, supported by mum Claire, nan Joy, Vicky’s partner Jamie, the rest of the Ellis and Amor families and an army of volunteers and loyal sponsors.
Vicky told Marlborough.news, “Wow what a few days! We had 40 guests in the Town Hall and delivered to 25 people who weren’t able to leave their homes. A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers in the Town Hall over Christmas Eve and Boxing Day as well as our delivery drivers – this wouldn’t be possible without them.
Our guests enjoyed a 3 course meal, a quiz, bingo, a raffle (free of charge), with prizes donated by the community. There was a prize for everyone, gifts and an afternoon tea bag to take home for the evening.
A quote from a guest on the day that really stood out to me was – ‘It’s been my best day ever.’ And that quote in itself has made every second that’s gone into the preparation of the lunch worthwhile.
Again, it was a family effort organising the lunch! Every single member of my family was involved in some way or another.
Below are the sponsors, who made the event possible:
Sumblers Butchers – All meat
Waitrose – Cash donation
Tesco – Fruit and veg
Sue Brady Catering – Free of charge(FOC) use of their incredible kitchen
Marlborough Town Council – FOC use of the town hall
Claridge Funeral Service – FOC storage of the Marlborough Christmas Lunch equipment
Anne and Mark Hancock from Kennet Community Transport and Jamie Amor and Kevin Ellis driving the Ramsbury Flyer as well as link drivers for safely getting our guests to and from the Town Hall.
Lots of local people and businesses who donated so generously to our raffle table.”
Guests spoke to Marlborough.news about how much they were enjoying the day. Michael from Wootton Rivers commented, “It’s superb, they’ve absolutely pulled out all the stops – 10 stars.” And “It’s like coming into a hotel,” added Peter. For Pat and Alan, Susan and Reg, it was also a chance to meet loads of new people and to meet up with old contacts but all echoed Pat’s comment, “so much work has gone into it.”
Tom, who was volunteering alongside his mother, Bridget, summed up what we were all thinking, “It’s just amazing that people from all over our community can come together and enjoy a Christmas lunch, make new friends and have a chat. A huge thank you to the organisers who make it happen.”
One of Robin Nelson’s carols – ‘Out of your sleep’ – broadcast on Carols from Kings
