THE owner of a Malvern cafe says she is delighted with the success of a Christmas lunch she hosted.

Alison Pearson held the event at the Poolbrook Cafe, off Poolbrook Road, for people who would otherwise have been alone on the day.

She said: "We had a lovely day with 14 people aged between mid 30s and late 90s joining us for lunch.

"We also had a couple of take out meals for a brother and sister who are in their 80s but didn't feel able to attend the actual event.

"They were offered sherry on arrival and wine or soft drinks with the meal, which ended with coffee and chocolate mints. We also had some light entertainment and a bit of a singalong. Everyone went home with a goodie bag containing things like mince pies and chocolates."

The three-course meal started with a choice of prawn cocktail or soup, followed by roast turkey with all the trimmings, including roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, honey and mustard roast parsnips and much more.

The meal ended with a choice of Christmas pudding, sherry trifle or cheesecake.

The event was partly funded by donations from well-wishers.

She said: "We were overwhelmed by the donations of both gifts and money and ended up with a surplus of £250 which we are passing on to Community Action.

"We had lots of volunteers come forward to help with taxiing the folk to and from the lunch and helping with serving and chatting to our guests. In the end we were turning volunteers away."