People with nowhere else to go at Christmas are gathering together for a meal and sharing presents today.

Christmas would be a nightmare for vulnerable adults with learning difficulties and mental health problems without the festive cheer of staff at the Fircroft Trust.

Presents will be given to the 25 people expected to turn up for a turkey dinner on Christmas Day.

For some it will be the only gift they get this year.

When NHS Kingston pulled its funding in August leaving many service users with nowhere to go, Brand Learning, a marketing and learning consultancy, generously stepped in.

The charity held a Christmas party with games and a roast dinner in the run-up to the holidays. Children from Long Ditton Infant School walked up the hill to sing carols on Friday, December 17.

Residents of Maple Lodge held their last ever Christmas party in their home inviting family and friends to share the evening with them before their expected move to a new home in Hook next year.

Susannah Horwood, at Fircroft, said: “Christmas can be an awful time for our clients. Many have become isolated from friends and loved ones due to the nature of their illness.

“This isolation is never more keenly felt than during the festive season when the emphasis is on being with loved ones and family and indeed is on generally being happy.”

The home in Ditton Road, Surbiton, will also be open tonight – Christmas Eve – with volunteers peeling potatoes ready for tomorrow.

Staff will pick people up and transport them to the Fircroft Centre on Christmas Day, collecting about 15 guests who are regular service users and another 10 referred to the charity by Community Mental Health Teams and GPs in Kingston.

Fircroft Trust is on track to move into a purpose built modern home next year.

The charity provides care for 23 people in four homes in Surbiton but, despite their warm, family feel, some of the old-fashioned buildings have steep staircases, no lifts and are totally unsuitable for people with physical disabilities.

The Kingston Guardian is supporting their bid to raise £1m to pay for the new home on the site of the former White Hart pub in Hook.

If you have any fundraising ideas call the Kingston Guardian on 020 8330 9547 or visit www.kingstonguardian.co.uk/news/fircroftappeal.