Alie Hannam offering free Christmas meals at The Crown in Fakenham to combat loneliness
Residents and businesses are pulling together to help a town pub deliver free Christmas dinners to people struggling with loneliness.
Staff at The Crown in Fakenham are welcoming in isolated locals on Monday, December 19 as part of a new scheme.
Landlady Alie Hannam is spearheading the plans, and has pinpointed that date due to already being heavily booked on Christmas Day itself.
A total of 50 people will be catered for across two sittings (12-2pm and 3-5pm), with 25 sitting in on each.
“I’ve got lots of elderly regulars that do eat at mine on Christmas Day anyway, and I don’t normally charge them,” Alie said.
“It just makes you think about how many other people in Fakenham don’t get the opportunity to spend Christmas Day with someone.
“The idea is that people just put their name down with a telephone number, and they come to whichever sitting.
“They all sit together, so it’s not a case of people being sat on their own. Everyone sits together, and they can all have a chat, a drink.”
Staff at The Crown have been delighted with the response they have had from Fakenham residents and businesses which are embracing the Christmas spirit to aid their cause.
Alie has asked for volunteers to help run food out on the day, while she said that “if anyone wants to dress up as Father Christmas just to make the day special for everybody”, they would be more than welcome.
She is also looking for some carol singers to perform during the meals.
If all goes well, she hopes to make it a yearly event from now on.
“Fakenham’s very much a community-orientated place. Everybody does come together, which is lovely,” she added.
“I’ve had lots of people message or ring the pub up and say ‘we’d like to help’.
“I’ve had other businesses say they don’t mind sponsoring, and the Fakenham fire service have been in contact and said ‘we’d like to come and help’.
“It is something where everybody does get together.”
Anybody who wishes to book a seat for The Crown’s Christmas dinner can call 01328 855278.
