Christmas dinner with a difference was on the menu for older residents from Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow when Heston Fire Station treated locals to an afternoon of festive food and entertainment.

The event last weekend (December 10) was attended by Hounslow Mayor Sue Sampson and included a Christmas feast cooked by the Isleworth-based firefighters, after dinner singing, and a bumper raffle provided by the local Tesco.

London Fire Brigade’s Borough Commander for Hounslow, Phil Morton, said: “This event really highlights the role of firefighters in the community and shows how we can support people by opening our doors to the public. It was great for the station to be filled with visitors on Sunday and we really enjoyed entertaining our group of guests.

“We would like to say thank you to all the volunteers from the charity for all the hard work they given to support older people throughout the year, all the firefighters who put on an amazing event and Tesco for donations of food and gifts.”

To hold the event, the fire station teamed up with Contact the Elderly, a national charity that helps combat loneliness among older people in Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow.

The charity eases the social isolation felt by thousands of people aged 75 and above who live alone by organising monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups all year round.

Contact the Elderly’s development officer for the borough, Jane Vasudevan, said: “The difference events like this can make to the lives of older people serves as a reminder of the importance of supporting older people who may suffer from loneliness in our communities, not only at Christmas, but all year round.

“I’d like to encourage anyone who might be interested in volunteering with Contact the Elderly in Hounslow, Richmond or Kingston to get in touch.”