A COMMUNITY group is determined to tackle loneliness this festive season by cooking Christmas Day dinner for anyone at risk of being on their own.

Barnard Castle Meet came are hosting the event and have already raised about £400 of their £1,000 target to cover the cost of the meal and entertainment at The Hub in Barnard Castle.

Town councillor Thom Robinson and Martin Bacon, of the Meet, decided to set up a fundraising page on Monday and have already had dozens of donations and volunteers come forward.

Mr Bacon said: “I was watching a programme on TV about people alone at Christmas and the next day Thom Robinson and myself sat down and were talking about how everyone’s forced into Christmas, because all the adverts show big families sitting round having a fantastic meal, and we just thought it was really awful for people.

“There’s an awful lot of people, especially in Teesdale, that might not have family or are maybe by themselves and we just thought what a horrible situation to be pushed into so we thought we’d do something about it.”

“It’s really heart warming to be honest,” cllr Robinson said.

“The response has been amazing already - just over the past few days we have had emails offering us cakes and the butcher has offered a mix of free and cost-price meat and we’ve had donations of lots of beer.”

He added: “We have been really overwhelmed by people’s generosity but we just wanted to give people an opportunity to join in with other people.

“A lot of people have said we are giving up our Christmas but we aren’t we are just doing it in a different way – we are going to have a really good time and enjoying it ourselves.”

The Hub’s mini-bus will be used for anyone in the Barnard Castle area who does not have transport but places are limited to between 60 and 80 people.

Organisers are also encouraging businesses from around the region to get involved with donations and are also accepting any volunteers who want to help on the day or even on Christmas Eve when most of the prep work, such as peeling vegetables, will be carried out.

The Hub coordinator, Andy Yeadon, said: “We just immediately thought it was a brilliant idea and it’s also using the Hub for what it’s intended for which is making a difference to people’s lives and what better thing to do on Christmas day than open it up to people who have not got families?”

To book a place or volunteer call Mr Bacon on 01833690022.

To donate visit http://www.gofundme.com/i21tmk