Christmas Day saw 60 guests from around the area enjoying a traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings at the Scout hut in Milton-on-Stour. It was a joyous occasion, made possible by the incredible generosity of local businesses and individuals, who donated both their time and everything we needed.

Particular thanks go to Bob Messer, who organised the lunch, Suzan Walker, from Carlink, who organised transport to and from the venue, and our amazing chef, Vicky Adamson, who was ably assisted in the kitchen by Tina Higgins and Phil Hurst. All of them worked incredibly hard and deserve full credit for its success.

None of this could have happened without the wonderful team of volunteers, two families of three generations among them, who came along on Christmas Eve to prepare the vegetables, decorate the hall and lay the tables. The whole session was great fun, and the hall looked splendid when the guests arrived next day.

On Christmas Day, volunteers welcomed guests, served drinks and lunch, cleared away, and cheerfully washed dishes and scoured pots and pans. There was a very warm, festive atmosphere, and we were particularly pleased that the Mayor of Gillingham, Councillor Roger Weeks, and his deputy, Councillor Fiona Cullen, came along to chat with our guests. After lunch, Liz Dewer and Deacon Mike Turnbull led some rousing carol singing, and when it was time to leave, each guest chose a gift from the huge pile generously donated by Kilmington & Stour WI.

On Boxing Day, another team of volunteers came to give the hut a thorough clean. In all, some 30 people gave up part of their Christmas to help us and we hope they know how much we, and our guests, appreciated it.

This was truly a community effort, and we have a lot of local businesses to thank for their contributions:
Three Rivers Partnership, who provided administrative support
Riversmeet, who provide storage space
Lee Downers Butchers
The Gillingham Co-op
Waitrose
Johnson/Stalbridge Linen
Riverside Garage
Victoria O’Brien Cakes, Bakes & Catering
ASDA
Plant World
Orchard Park
Chaffers Estate Agents
Read’s Charity

Looking forward to next Christmas.

– The Gillingham Community Christmas Lunch Team