Elderly people facing a lonely Christmas are being offered a free turkey dinner at The Haberdashery cafe in Stoke Newington.
‘‘We’re going to provide a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, a bit of music, bingo and Secret Santa,” said owner Massimo Bergamin.
He came up with the idea after a regular customer said he would be alone on 25 December.
“As there are a million things going on, it’s easy to forget the real meaning of Christmas. It sounds cheesy, but I really mean it.
“It should be a moment of reflection, of helping other people a bit. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Charity Friends of the Elderly estimates that around 500,000 elderly people spend Christmas Day alone.
Assistance will be provided by volunteers and staff, while Mr Bergamin’s mother will be coming from Italy to help with the cooking.
Mr Bergamin said over £300 had already been donated to the project and he hopes to receive enough money to provide transport for the guests to and from the cafe.
Any money remaining will be donated to charities for the elderly.
Mr Bergamin had previously organised a similar event at the Haberdashery’s sister café in Crouch End.
“The oldest lady that we had was 95,” he said.
“She danced all day, and at the end she came up to me and said ‘I haven’t danced for 30 years.’ That was the best part of the day for me.”
Massimo Bergamin, Image: Thomas Macaulay
