MORE than 70 elderly residents tucked into a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings yesterday, thanks to the dedication of a local friendship group.

The West Worcester Live at Home Scheme invited older people living in St John's to a very special festive lunch at Bromyard Road Methodist Church. As well as enjoying food cooked by the group's lunch club volunteers, the guests were entertained by The Bizarre Ollie Mealing, a local teenager and card trick expert and the U3A choir.

One of the organisers, Anna Byers, said: "Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for some of the older people who visit our group, especially if they have few plans to mark the festive season or live far from their families."

The Live at Home Scheme has been running for 15 years and relies on a team of faithful volunteers to befriend residents as well as transport them to and from lunch clubs and shopping trips.