Everything that happened in 2020 leading up to Christmas pre-ordained that it would be a very different Christmas.
Previous Christmases have meant lots of friends and work groups booking Christmas Lunch in the cafe; typically around 300 hundred lunches; this year none. We serve Christmas lunch on Christmas Day to more than 40 people; this year none.
This year the Big Heart Lunch Club that met at both St John’s Community Centre and United Reform Church had to close at the start of Lockdown. Over time it became a weekly delivery of lunch to Lunch Club members which then expanded to include entirely new members socially isolated around the town. Each week we serve a chilled main meal and pud to more than 50 customers to reheat at their convenience. The Town Council supports the scheme and delivers the food. Congleton Inclosure Trust and Cheshire East Council have provided grants to support the scheme.
So, for Christmas lunch we have extra customers; we’re providing 92 full Christmas lunches for people, delivered chilled on Christmas Eve and we hope to provide a few extras for them too!
So, like much of 2020 it will be a little different!
In addition there has been a campaign called Congleton Cares providing Christmas Goodies to several hundred people around the town. The Old Saw Mill offered, in a moment of madness, to provide a trio of truffles and marzipan apples! They took 3 days to make and pack, but people seemed to love them!
Despite it all have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year, here’s to a better 2021!