Pub offers free Christmas lunch to lonely locals

Colin Chapman says he will be welcoming locals on Christmas Day

A pub landlord is offering a free Christmas lunch to anyone who lives in a Devon village and is spending the day on their own.

Colin Chapman, of the Huntsman Inn in Ide, near Exeter, said he wanted to create a sense of community and give people a bit of a boost on Christmas Day.

He said: "Ide is a really special village and we've got an amazing community atmosphere here.

"I just felt that I was going to be here on my own, so I thought I probably know there are people who will be on their own and it felt like it was just a nice thing to do."

Potato peeling

He posted a message on Facebook inviting anyone who lived in the parish of Ide and would like some company to come to the Huntsman at 14:30 GMT for lunch on 25 December.

He said there would be no charge and diners could even bring their own favourite tipple with them.

He said he appreciated that some residents were not on Facebook and asked people to pass the message on to "anyone you think will be on their own".

He said: "We just need an idea of numbers by Friday as this will dictate how many potatoes I'll be peeling.

"We're not a massive pub and there's obviously an element of preparation to go into it.

"But we just put the call out there say to people: 'Don't be on your own on Christmas Day.'"

He said he expected the atmosphere at the pub to be mellow and friendly, with some people who grew up in the village returning to visit their families and stopping by for a drink.